A molecular perspective: biology of the emerging pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Abstract

Ten years after the first discovery of the chytrid pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the catastrophic effect of Bd on wild amphibian populations is indisputable. However, a number of persistent questions remain about Bd's origin and mechanisms of pathogenicity. Here we discuss the promise of genetic and genomic tools for answering these previously intractable questions about the biology and evolutionary history of Bd. Full genomes of 2 Bd strains have recently been sequenced, and Bd research on this species using population genetics, phylogenetics, proteomics, comparative genomics and functional genomics is already underway. We review some of the insights gleaned from the first studies using these genome-scale approaches focusing particularly on Bd's genomic architecture, patterns of global genetic variation, virulence factors and genetic interactions with hosts. Avenues of future research promise to be particularly fruitful and highlight the need for integrative studies that unite genetic, ecological and spatial data in both Bd and its amphibian hosts. KEY WORDS:Genetics · Genomics · Ecological genomics · Pathogenicity · Chytrid · Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherContribution to DAO Special 4 'Chytridiomycosis: an emerging disease'

First survey for the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Connecticut (USA) finds widespread prevalence

“…Not succumbing to lethal chytridiomycosis infections may be explained by the host's biology (including host defenses, life stage, sex), environmental conditions, or the pathogen itself (including pathogenesis), or some combination of these factors (Voyles et al 2011). Recently, investigations have started to focus on the molecular basis of individual Bd isolates , Rosenblum et al 2010, and this line of research will be able to identify whether there are different strains of Bd, whether they vary regionally, and whether some are more virulent than others. It may be that strains existing in CT, or more broadly throughout New England, are less lethal than strains found in dieoff locations.…”

Genetic diversity analysis of isolates of the fungal bean pathogen Pseudocercospora griseola from central and southern Brazil

“…The identification of mating and meiotic genes does not provide conclusive proof of actual sexual recombination because the functions of these genes may include additional pleiotropic roles that prevent their loss by genetic drift. However, a population genetic approach with the analysis of the pattern of genetic variability using high-resolution molecular markers allows inferences about the occurrence of recombination in the life history of the pathogen (Rosenblum et al, 2010).…”

Disease dynamics of red-spotted newts and their anuran prey in a montane pond community

“…Experimentally, there are interspecific differences in susceptibility to Bd and differences in virulence among Bd strains (Kilpatrick et al 2010, Rosenblum et al 2010, Gervasi et al 2013). Likewise, susceptibility to Rv differs greatly among species and among different developmental stages within a species (Hoverman et al 2010, Warne et al 2011.…”