History and recent progress on chytridiomycosis in amphibians

Berger, Lee; Roberts, A. W.; Voyles, Jamie; Longcore, Joyce E.; Murray, Kris A.; Skerratt, Lee F.

doi:10.1016/j.funeco.2015.09.007

Cited by 116 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 130 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

115

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Although chytridiomycosis is believed to be a principal driver of worldwide amphibian population declines, mass mortality events have been reported in limited geographical regions [8]. Rather, population declines often occur gradually, perhaps in response to environmental changes that increase pathogen effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Enhanced call effort in Japanese tree frogs infected by amphibian chytrid fungus

An¹,

Waldman²

2016

Biol. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Some amphibians have evolved resistance to the devastating disease chytridiomycosis, associated with global population declines, but immune defences can be costly. We recorded advertisement calls of male Japanese tree frogs (Hyla japonica) in the field. We then assessed whether individuals were infected by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the causal agent of the disease. This allowed us to analyse call properties of males as a function of their infection status. Infected males called more rapidly and produced longer calls than uninfected males. This enhanced call effort may reflect pathogen manipulation of host behaviour to foster disease transmission. Alternatively, increased calling may have resulted from selection on infected males to reproduce earlier because of their shortened expected lifespan. Our results raise the possibility that sublethal effects of Bd alter amphibian life histories, which contributes to long-term population declines.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chytridiomycosis has contributed to global amphibian population declines, decimating populations of some species, sometimes to extinction [8]. Yet, other species, despite themselves harbouring Bd infections, survive in the midst of epizootics affecting amphibian communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced call effort in Japanese tree frogs infected by amphibian chytrid fungus

An¹,

Waldman²

2016

Biol. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Still, some biotic (e.g. variation in pathogen virulence [12,16]; host ecology [10]; immunogenetic variation [17][18][19]; antimicrobial peptides [20]; skin bacteria [21,22]) and abiotic (e.g. temperature and moisture [23]; habitat [10]) factors have consistently been associated with higher probabilities of population persistence or decline across many locations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of chytrid emergence and impacts on amphibians

Lips

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

189

169

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One contribution of 18 to a discussion meeting issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'. Chytridiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease of amphibians that affects over 700 species on all continents where amphibians occur. The amphibianchytridiomycosis system is complex, and the response of any amphibian species to chytrid depends on many aspects of the ecology and evolutionary history of the amphibian, the genotype and phenotype of the fungus, and how the biological and physical environment can mediate that interaction. Impacts of chytridiomycosis on amphibians are varied; some species have been driven extinct, populations of others have declined severely, whereas still others have not obviously declined. Understanding patterns and mechanisms of amphibian responses to chytrids is critical for conservation and management. Robust estimates of population numbers are needed to identify species at risk, prioritize taxa for conservation actions, design management strategies for managing populations and species, and to develop effective measures to reduce impacts of chytrids on amphibians.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'.

show abstract

“…Chytridiomycosis is an emerging fungal disease in amphibians caused by the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) [1][2][3]. The disease markedly affected frog populations globally and resulted in the dramatic population decline and extinction of over 200 frog species since 1996 [4][5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging Chytrid Fungal Pathogen, Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis, in Zoo Amphibians in Thailand

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chytridiomycosis, a disease in amphibians caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has led to a population decline and extinction of frog species since 1996. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of and the need for establishing a surveillance system for monitoring chytridiomycosis in five national zoos and five free ranging protected areas across Thailand. A total of 492 skin swab samples were collected from live and dead animals and tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Bd. The positive specimens were confi rmed by amplicon sequencing and examined by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. From July 2009 to August 2012, the prevalence of Bd from frog skin samples was low (4.27%), monitored by PCR. All samples from live amphibians were negative. The positive cases were only from dead specimens (21/168, 12.5% dead samples) of two non-native captive species, poison dart frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) and tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii) in one zoo. Immunohistochemistry and histopathology revealed the typical feature of fl ask-shaped zoosporangia and septate thalli, supporting the PCR-based evidence of chytridiomycosis in captive amphibians in Thailand, but detected Bd in only 7/21 of the PCR-positive samples. Although the introduction of a pathogenic strain of Bd from imported carriers might have a serious impact on the native amphibian populations in Thailand, chytridiomycosis has not currently been detected in native Thai amphibians. An active surveillance system is needed for close monitoring of the fungus crossing into Thai amphibian populations

show abstract

History and recent progress on chytridiomycosis in amphibians

Cited by 116 publications

References 130 publications

Enhanced call effort in Japanese tree frogs infected by amphibian chytrid fungus

Enhanced call effort in Japanese tree frogs infected by amphibian chytrid fungus

Overview of chytrid emergence and impacts on amphibians

Emerging Chytrid Fungal Pathogen, Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis, in Zoo Amphibians in Thailand

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About