I’m not responding to anyone in particular but here’s what I’d like to add to this discussion for someone new or someone who might be thinking where do I start. Disease testing is a management tool. Treat it like that. When acquiring any new animal: test on intake, demand from sellers a return guarantee if something comes up positive. It’s not really germane to your current purchase if A.) some snakes can clear this virus (which no peer reviewed evidence for that) or B.) some snakes are asymptomatic positives indefinitely. At the time of the transaction you bought a “100% healthy snake” and this is one additional way of verifying that claim.
If you have long term members of your collection who are positive then you can make the decision if you’re going to euthanize or isolate based on your personal circumstances. But choosing not to know just means you’re giving the virus a chance to spread unabated. Again testing is a management tool not a prescription for treatment or action. Everyone should test in my opinion even if the results would be euthanasia.
Testing should be used in addition to (not in leu of) normal biohazard procedures: isolation of cohorts, sanitation between contact of animals/breeding groups, sanitization of shared surfaces, artificial incubation etc. If you never tested the adults and just isolated your youngstock could effectively guarantee your production was serpentovirus free.
Python people should be happy frankly. There is vertical transmission in boas with arenavirus and it’s devastating. Boas are very well adapted to arenavirus infections and they can last a long time potentially but they do pass it to their offspring and euthanasia is the best course unless you can find a long term pet home. Their bodies are being ravaged even if it takes years for the virus to show symptoms.
The other thing to keep in mind is that testing and management for a disease that’s a little bit cryptic, sometimes lethal something not, isn’t something new in animal husbandry. We “manage” Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) with a combination of testing, isolation, and pet homes for positive animals that are stable and may clear the infection with the same sort of mindset. There’s no reason not to treat the diseases that we’re discovering in reptiles with similar approach. First line of defense though is testing.
Testing, did I mention it enough? I firmly believe that testing is better for the community than not.