DePaula etal 2012 Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ex situ

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 2013

This paper describes an outbreak of chytridiomycosis affecting a group of Dendrobates tinctorius, a Neotropical anuran species, confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade and housed in a private zoo in Brazil as part of an ex situ breeding program. We examined histological sections of the skin of 30 D. tinctorius and 20 Adelphobates galactonotus individuals. Twenty D. tinctorius (66.7%) and none of the A. galactonotus were positive for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Multiple development stages of Bd infection were observed. The reasons for the interspecific difference in the rate of infection could not be determined, and further studies are advised. Because the examined population consisted of confiscated frogs, detailed epidemiological aspects could not be investigated, and the source of the fungus remains uncertain. The existence of ex situ amphibian populations is important for protecting species at higher risk in the wild, and ex situ amphibian conservation and breeding programs in Brazil may be established using confiscated frogs as founders. However, this paper alerts these programs to the urgency of strict quarantine procedures to prevent the introduction of potential pathogens, particularly Bd, into ex situ conservation programs.

2011

This paper describes an outbreak of chytridiomycosis affecting a group of Dendrobates tinctorius, a Neotropical anuran species, confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade and housed in a private zoo in Brazil as part of an ex situ breeding program. We examined histological sections of the skin of 30 D. tinctorius and 20 Adelphobates galactonotus individuals. Twenty D. tinctorius (66.7%) and none of the A. galactonotus were positive for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Multiple development stages of Bd infection were observed. The reasons for the interspecific difference in the rate of infection could not be determined, and further studies are advised. Because the examined population consisted of confiscated frogs, detailed epidemiological aspects could not be investigated, and the source of the fungus remains uncertain. The existence of ex situ amphibian populations is important for protecting species at higher risk in the wild, and ex situ amphibian conservation and breeding programs in Brazil may be established using confiscated frogs as founders. However, this paper alerts these programs to the urgency of strict quarantine procedures to prevent the introduction of potential pathogens, particularly Bd, into ex situ conservation programs.

In México City, native and exotic amphibians are commonly sold through the pet trade. This study investigates the presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in native amphibians being sold at two commercial markets and at a herpetarium in Mexico City. A total of 238 individuals (6 genera and 12 species) were tested for Bd using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. There were 197 Bd-positive individuals (prevalence 82%) from five species of amphibians. Hyla eximia from the markets had very high Bd prevalence (100%; 76/76 and 99%; 88/89) but those from the herpetarium were Bd negative (0/12). Ambystoma mexicanum from the herpetarium also had a high Bd-positive prevalence (80%; 28/35). Though A. mexicanum is nearly extinct in the wild, a commercial market continues to flourish through the pet trade. Now that captive colonies of A. mexicanum are currently used for reintroduction programs, the authors recommend quarantine to reduce spread of Bd via movement of infected animals in the trade and between colonies and via disposal of wastewater from captive collections.

EcoHealth, 2006

The harlequin frog, Atelopus mucubajiensis, is a critically endangered species that was believed to be extinct until 2004, when a single adult female was found in the Venezuelan Andes. Its disappearance after 1994 has been attributed to an increase in the prevalence of the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in populations of these frogs. Using histology and Real-Time PCR assays, we tested this adult female positive for B. dendrobatidis. We report for the first time, to our knowledge, infection in a live specimen of A. mucubajiensis. The presence of this pathogen in remaining individuals poses a problem for the long-term persistence of this critically endangered species, as new epidemic episodes of chytridiomycosis could jeopardize the survival of remnant populations.

2018

for establishing the current distribution of pathogens in a particular region, but to understand the complete story of Bd, it is necessary to couple modern efforts with the information from the past that historical specimens have to offer. Acknowledgments.-We thank S. Fox and E. Santoyo-Brito (Oklahoma State University) and J. Jacobs (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) for loaning specimens to RLF and JLW. Funding support for these analyses was provided, in part, by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (F14F01225 [T-80-1]) and the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens Conservation Action Now (CAN) grant to CDS and JLW. RLF would like to thank the SSAR Student Travel Award to allow her to attend SSAR 2015 in Lawrence, Kansas to present preliminary findings of this project; MJL and MLP would like to thank the University of Oklahoma First Year Research Experience (FYRE) program for supporting their involvement in undergraduate research in the Siler Lab. All swabbed specimens were collected under relevant permits and IA-CUC approvals necessary at the time of collection. We thank members of the Siler Lab for reading early versions of this manuscript and anonymous reviewers for helpful comments. Literature Cited Bd-maPs. 2015. Available at (Accessed 14 October 2015). CHeng, t. L., s. m. rovito, d. B. wake, and v. t. vredenBurg. 2011. Coincident mass extirpation of neotropical amphibians with the emergence of the infectious fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 108:9502-9507.

Ecohealth, 2006

The harlequin frog, Atelopus mucubajiensis, is a critically endangered species that was believed to be extinct until 2004, when a single adult female was found in the Venezuelan Andes. Its disappearance after 1994 has been attributed to an increase in the prevalence of the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in populations of these frogs. Using histology and Real-Time PCR assays, we tested this adult female positive for B. dendrobatidis. We report for the first time, to our knowledge, infection in a live specimen of A. mucubajiensis. The presence of this pathogen in remaining individuals poses a problem for the long-term persistence of this critically endangered species, as new epidemic episodes of chytridiomycosis could jeopardize the survival of remnant populations.

Population declines and extinctions of numerous species of amphibians, especially stream-breeding frogs, have been linked to the emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. In Central America, most of the 34 species of the Craugastor punctariolus species group have disappeared in recent years in high-and low-elevation rainforests. Distribution models for B. dendrobatidis and the continuous presence of the extirpated stream-dwelling species, Craugastor ranoides, in the driest site of Costa Rica (Santa Elena Peninsula), suggest that environmental conditions might restrict the growth and development of B. dendrobatidis, existing as a refuge from chytridiomycosis-driven extinction. We conducted field surveys to detect and quantify the pathogen using Real-time PCR in samples from 15 species of frogs in two locations of tropical dry forest. In Santa Elena Peninsula, we swabbed 310 frogs, and only one sample of the species, C. ranoides, tested positive for B. dendrobatidis (prevalence <0.1%). In Santa Rosa Station, we swabbed 100 frogs, and nine samples from three species tested positive (prevalence = 9.0%). We failed to detect signs of chytridiomycosis in any of the 410 sampled frogs, and low quantities of genetic equivalents (between 0 and 1073) were obtained from the ten positive samples. The difference in the prevalence between locations might be due not only to the hotter and drier conditions of Santa Elena Peninsula but also to the different compositions of species in both locations. Our results suggest that B. dendrobatidis is at the edge of its distribution in these dry and hot environments of tropical dry forest. This study supports the existence of climatic refuges from chytridiomycosis and highlights the importance of tropical dry forest conservation for amphibians in the face of epidemic disease.

EcoHealth, 2011

We present the first record of Chytridiomycosis in Brazilian Cerrado, affecting two species belonging to the Bokermannohyla pseudopseudis species group. The present record extends the Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis occurrence more than 750 km north from the nearest known locality, showing that the fungus is widespread in Brazil. Since 2005, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been recorded for 48 Brazilian anuran species in the wild, affecting 72 native populations in 24 localities. The records of new infected species and populations showed an accelerated increase, and several records are expected for future years.