Prevalence of the pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in an endangered population of northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens

Voordouw, Maarten J.; Adama, Doug; Houston, Barb; Govindarajulu, Purnima; Robinson, John G.

doi:10.1186/1472-6785-10-6

Cited by 41 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…The earliest published record of Bd in this region of the world is 1961 from SaintPierre-de-Wakefield, Quebec (Ouellet et al 2005), Canada, and the earliest record of Bd in CT is 1968 (Richards-Hrdlicka 2012). Given that Bd has been in this area for decades and it has been successfully extracted and detected from other ethanol-preserved amphibian tissues (Soto-Azat et al 2009, Voordouw et al 2010, we are confident that our methods were sufficient to detect Bd if it was present in these samples. These tadpoles were quite small (Gosner stages 25 to 28;Gosner 1960), and half a mouthpart may not have captured a nascent infection at this early larval stage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Many of the regions and species that are the focus of extensive research efforts are those either currently undergoing declines or are species of conservation concern (e.g. Berger et al 1998, Bosch et al 2001, Lips et al 2006, Voordouw et al 2010. However, to fully understand its ecology, it is helpful to identify where Bd does and where it does not occur.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Richards-Hrdlicka

Richardson²,

Mohabir³

2013

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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The amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is an emerging infectious fungal pathogen of amphibians and is linked to global population declines. Until now, there has only been 1 survey for the fungus in the northeastern USA, which focused primarily on northern New England. We tested for Bd in a large number of samples (916 individuals from 116 sites) collected throughout the state of Connecticut, representing 18 native amphibian species. In addition, 239 preserved wood frog Lithobates sylvaticus tadpoles from throughout the state were screened for the fungus. Bd presence was assessed in both the fresh field swabs and the preserved samples using a sensitive quantitative PCR assay. Our contemporary survey found widespread Bd prevalence throughout Connecticut, occurring in 14 species and in 28% of all sampled animals. No preserved L. sylvaticus specimens tested positive for the fungus. Two common species, bullfrogs R. catesbeiana and green frogs R. clamitans had particularly high infection rates (0.21−0.39 and 0.33−0.42, respectively), and given their wide distribution throughout the state, we suggest they may serve as sentinels for Bd occurrence in this region. Further analyses found that several other factors increase the likelihood of infection, including life stage, host sex, and host family. Within sites, ponds with ranids, especially green frogs, increased the likelihood of Bd prevalence. By studying Bd in populations not facing mass declines, the results from this study are an important contribution to our understanding of how some amphibian species and populations remain infected yet exhibit no signs of chytridiomycosis even when Bd is widely distributed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Richards-Hrdlicka

Richardson²,

Mohabir³

2013

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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“…Since L. pipiens has been known to clear infection (Voordouw et al 2010;Paetow et al 2012), second and third rounds of inoculations were performed at weeks 3 and 6, respectively (Table 1). Each of these latter rounds consisted of two inoculations in a 3.25 L bath of 20% Holtfreter's solution over a 3-day period.…”

Section: Inoculationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, it has been suggested that L. pipiens may be a ''carrier'' species (Woodhams et al 2008;Gahl et al 2011), as it is currently not known to exhibit acute symptoms or mortality when infected by Bd. In a recent study of an endangered population of L. pipiens in British Columbia, Bd is thought to have swept through in an epidemic fashion leading to rapid declines and endangerment of that population (Voordouw et al 2010). Although that population now appears to be coexisting with Bd, coexistence does not mean that the disease is not affecting fitness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fitness Consequences of Infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

et al. 2013

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The amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been linked to amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide. The pathogen has been found on amphibians throughout eastern North America, but has not been associated with mass die-offs in this region. In this study, we conducted laboratory experiments on the effects of Bd infection in a putative carrier species, Lithobates pipiens, using two estimators of fitness: jumping performance and testes morphology. Over the 8-week study period, peak acceleration during jumping was not significantly different between infected and uninfected animals. Peak velocity, however, was significantly lower for infected animals after 8 weeks. Two measures of sperm production, germinal epithelium depth, and maximum spermatic cyst diameter, showed no difference between infected and uninfected animals. The width, but not length, of testes of infected animals was significantly greater than in uninfected animals. This study is the first to show effects on whole-organism performance of Bd infection in post-metamorphic amphibians, and may have important long-term, evolutionary implications for amphibian populations co-existing with Bd infection.

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“…An opportunistic sample design, small sample sizes, and poor or missing data (gaps in the grid), especially in the northwestern and southeastern parts of Germany, may obscure the real situation. Moreover, many other factors may bias prevalence estimation, for example, the number and spectrum of species in a sample, the season when samples were collected (Skerratt et al 2008, 2010, Voordouw et al 2010, Kinney et al 2011, Piovia-Scott et al 2011, and, as mentioned above, the life stage of the individuals tested. As larvae and juvenile amphibians (especially recently metamorphosed individuals) seem more susceptible than adults to Bd infections (Waldman et al 2001, Lamirande & Nichols 2002, Bosch et al 2007, Walker et al 2010, PioviaScott et al 2011, the overall prevalence estimated in this study may be representative only for the adult population because the majority of individuals tested were adults.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Germany: distribution, prevalences, and prediction of high risk areas

Ohst¹,

Gräser²,

Plötner³

2013

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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In Germany, the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) was detected in 11 indigenous frog species, 4 newt species, and 1 salamander species in 64 out of the 181 locations (35%) investigated. Among the 3450 samples collected between 2003 and 2011, 284 (8.2%) were positive for Bd infections. The highest prevalences were observed in Alytes obstetricans (17.8% of individuals, 20% of populations), followed by Ichthyosaura alpestris (14.7%, 22.2%), Bombina variegata (13.9%, 38.5%), and water frogs comprising 2 species, Pelophylax lessonae and P. ridibundus, and their hybrid form P. esculentus (13.5%, 29.0%). Bd is widespread; areas of higher prevalence were detected in eastern, southeastern, western, and southwestern Germany. Our data indicate that drift fencing of amphibians is not a risk factor for the anthropogenic spread of Bd. Although chytridiomycosis outbreaks have never been observed in Germany, it cannot be excluded that Bd infections affect the dynamics of local amphibian populations. Among the questions still to be answered is whether juveniles are more susceptible to Bd infections than adults. Further work, especially long-term observations including capture-mark-recapture studies, is required to clarify the impact Bd has on amphibians in Germany and Central Europe. KEY WORDS: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis · Chytridiomycosis · Germany · Distribution · Prevalence · Amphibian fencing Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 107: [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59] 2013 2005, Schmidt et al. 2009), Italy (Federici et al. 2008, and on Sardinia (Bovero et al. 2008, Bielby et al. 2009). Epidemiological data from the northern and eastern parts of Europe, however, are scarce.In Germany, the first field record of Bd was obtained from the water frog hybrid Pelophylax esculentus, which was sampled in the state of Brandenburg, northeastern Germany (Mutschmann et al. 2000). Further records originated from P. esculentus, found in 2003 near Neuwied (Rhineland-Palatinate), Triturus alpestris (2001 and 2003) collected in southern Germany (Swabian Alb), and Salamandra salamandra (2001 and 2002) kept in an outdoor terrarium (Mutschmann 2007). Preliminary prevalence data ob tained from all indigenous German amphibian species except S. atra indicate that Bd is widespread in Germany and is able to infect all species (Ohst et al. 2011). Chytridiomycosis outbreaks, however, have never been observed; therefore the role Bd plays in population declines in Germany, as in the whole of Central Europe, is not yet clear. We therefore as a first step estimated species-, population-, and locality-specific prevalence rates of Bd infections in Germany. Based on 3450 tissue samples from 181 localities, we aimed to explore the spatial patterns of Bd infections and detect areas of increased Bd prevalences in Germany as a basis for risk assessment and conservation management.Despite the role Bd plays in the dynamics of am phibian populations, destruction,...

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Prevalence of the pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in an endangered population of northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens

Cited by 41 publications

References 30 publications

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

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

Fitness Consequences of Infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Germany: distribution, prevalences, and prediction of high risk areas

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