tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44180117935240890882024-03-12T22:19:09.221-07:00Bd-Maps<i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i>David Aanensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785704677697629547noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-48370499207070281282018-05-10T11:13:00.000-07:002018-05-10T11:25:17.523-07:00Finally solved: the origin of Bd<b>Genetic clues reveal origins of killer fungus behind the ‘amphibian plague’ </b> <br/> <br/>
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Link to the article: <a href="https://t.co/LsC4g8xwxK">https://t.co/LsC4g8xwxK</a> <br/><br/>
A deadly fungus responsible for the devastation of amphibian populations around the world may have originated in East Asia, new research has found.
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), known as chytrid fungus, has long been identified as a cause of the decline and extinction of species of frogs, toads, newts and other amphibians across several continents.<br/><br/>
Chytrid is distributed around the world but to date it has remained unclear where killer strains of the pathogen first emerged.<br/><br/>
Now, new research published in the journal Science and led by researchers at Imperial College London alongside partners including ZSL (Zoological Society of London), suggests the killer fungus currently ravaging global amphibian populations originated in East Asia.<br/><br/>
The researchers highlight the need to tighten biosecurity across borders, including a potential ban on trade in amphibians as pets to ensure the survival of vulnerable species.<br/><br/>
Dr Simon O’Hanlon, from the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial and first author of the paper, said: “Biologists have known since the 1990s that Bd was behind the decline of many amphibian species, but until now we haven’t been able to identify exactly where it came from.”<br/><br/>
“In our paper, we solve this problem and show that the lineage which has caused such devastation can be traced back to East Asia.”<br/><br/>
Chytrid is passed from animal to animal and spreads rapidly in the wild, causing catastrophic mortality and declines in some species, while others are less affected.<br/><br/>
The fungus causes a disease called chytridiomycosis, which attacks the animal’s skin, affecting their ability to regulate water and electrolyte levels and leading to heart failure. <br/><br/>
In this latest study, an international team involving 38 institutions gathered samples of the pathogen from around the world. They sequenced the genomes of these samples, combining the data with genomes from previous Bd studies to make a collection of 234 samples. <br/><br/>
Researchers analysed the data, looking at differences between the genomes. From the samples, they identified four main genetic lineages of the fungus, three of which are distributed globally. A fourth lineage was found only in Korea, on frogs native to the region. <br/><br/>
Cultures from this Korean lineage were found to contain much more genetic diversity than any other lineage. Deeper analysis of the Korean Bd showed no history of global outbreaks within their genomes suggesting the Korean chytrid strains were native to the region, and most closely resemble the ancestor of all modern Bd.<br/><br/>
Using the genetic data, the team estimated when the killer strain of Bd currently plaguing amphibians diverged from its most recent common ancestor. Their findings support the idea that rather than dating back thousands of years, as previously thought, the range of the disease expanded greatly between 50 and 120 years ago, coinciding with the rapid global expansion of intercontinental trade. The team’s finding Asian strains of Bd in pet Oriental fire-bellied toads strongly supported this idea.<br/><br/>
According to the researchers, human movement of amphibians – such as through the pet trade – has directly contributed to spreading the pathogen around the world. They add that the paper provides strong evidence for a ban on trade in amphibians from Asia, due to the high risk associated with exporting previously unknown strains of chytrid out of this region.<br/> <br/>
The group also highlights the threat of another amphibian pathogen which has also emerged from Asia (B. salamandrivorans or BSal) affecting salamanders in Europe and whose spread is also linked with the global trade in pet amphibians from Asia.<br/><br/>
Professor Matthew Fisher, from the School of Public Health at Imperial, said: “Our research not only points to East Asia as ground zero for this deadly fungal pathogen, but suggests we have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg of chytrid diversity in Asia. Therefore, until the ongoing trade in infected amphibians is halted, we will continue to put our irreplaceable global amphibian biodiversity recklessly at risk.”<br/><br/>
The research was supported by funding from the National Environment Research Council.<br/><br/>
Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-69036072266866223192017-12-18T04:41:00.000-08:002017-12-18T04:41:43.064-08:00On biosafety measures for the prevention of the spread of amphibian and reptile species diseasesThe standing committee of the Bern Convention adopted a new recommendation on on biosafety measures for the prevention of the spread of amphibian and reptile
species diseases.
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Read it here: <a href="https://rm.coe.int/recommendation-on-biosafety-measures-for-the-prevention-of-the-spread-/168075a4b0">https://rm.coe.int/recommendation-on-biosafety-measures-for-the-prevention-of-the-spread-/168075a4b0</a>
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Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-37758704832937369052017-10-13T05:23:00.001-07:002017-10-13T05:23:55.223-07:00Disinfectants against pathogenic chytrid fungi and Ranavirus Pascale Van Rooij and coauthors describe disinfectants against pathogenic chytrids (Bd and Bsal) and Ranavirus. This is an important paper which should be ready by everyone!
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<a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0186269">http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0186269</a> <br/>Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-62437525256587425612017-08-01T04:58:00.000-07:002017-08-01T04:58:18.617-07:00More on Bd mitigationIn a new paper published in Scientific Reports (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-05798-9">link</a>), Corina Geiger and coauthors describe the results of a field experiments on Bd mitigation. They show that a transient reduction of prevalence is possible.
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Here's the abstract: <br/>
"Emerging infectious diseases can drive host populations to extinction and are a major driver of biodiversity loss. Controlling diseases and mitigating their impacts is therefore a priority for conservation science and practice. Chytridiomycosis is a devastating disease of amphibians that is caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), and for which there is an urgent need to develop mitigation methods. We treated tadpoles of the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) with antifungal agents using a capture-treat-release approach in the field. Antifungal treatment during the spring reduced the prevalence of Bd in the cohort of tadpoles that had overwintered and reduced transmission of Bd from this cohort to the uninfected young-of-the-year cohort. Unfortunately, the mitigation was only transient, and the antifungal treatment was unable to prevent the rapid spread of Bd through the young-of-the year cohort. During the winter, Bd prevalence reached 100% in both the control and treated ponds. In the following spring, no effects of treatment were detectable anymore. We conclude that the sporadic application of antifungal agents in the present study was not sufficient for the long-term and large-scale control of Bd in this amphibian system."
Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-4433653984692009032017-04-20T23:43:00.001-07:002017-04-20T23:43:29.788-07:00Bd can infect zebrafishThe amphibian chytrid fungus can infect zebra fish. <br /> <br />
The press release: <a href="http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_7-4-2017-12-24-44">http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_7-4-2017-12-24-44</a> <br /> <br />
The paper in Nature Communications: <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15048">https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15048</a>Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-70755605086640245472017-04-20T22:54:00.000-07:002017-04-20T22:55:42.763-07:00Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans: The perfect pathogen A new paper by Gwij Stegen et al. shows that the salamander chytrid fungus may be the 'perfect pathogen'. It kills salamanders rapidly and has a very high transmission. There is apparently no immune response by the salamader. There are reservoir hosts and two types of zoospores. <br /> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrxvLUSR6bBg0cuX92bxuk8jVp6E6hgvx1zDkPQumqdfZSJbmC-RiSJQtPpjWDwKVSJ3f5XachrlsvQov3LOSk80HU_yMzXRQEZeG_VKk80BGW0pmMUFu-0jFx6_FeQJfpMS0JfprbEY/s1600/sick.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrxvLUSR6bBg0cuX92bxuk8jVp6E6hgvx1zDkPQumqdfZSJbmC-RiSJQtPpjWDwKVSJ3f5XachrlsvQov3LOSk80HU_yMzXRQEZeG_VKk80BGW0pmMUFu-0jFx6_FeQJfpMS0JfprbEY/s320/sick.JPG" width="320" height="218" /></a>
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An infected salamander. Picture by (c) Frank Pasmans. <br />
<a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v544/n7650/full/nature22059.html">The paper in Nature</a>. <br />
<a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v544/n7650/full/544300a.html">The News and Views article by Mat Fisher</a>. <br />
<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/deadly-salamander-disease-just-got-lot-scarier">The story in Science about the article</a>. <br />Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-55579587080899099472017-02-09T01:00:00.001-08:002017-02-09T01:00:52.129-08:00Did Bd cause historic amphibian population declines in Brazil? A new paper by Tamilie Carvalho et al. in the Proceedings of the Royal Society shows that there is a link between Bd infection in tadpoles and amphibian population declines in Brazil (primarily in the Atlantic forest). Thus, Bd may have caused population declines a long time ago and even before it was described (1979-1987). The authors argue that these results suggest that Brazil is not the origin of Bd. <br/><br/>
The abstract of the paper:<br/>
The recent increase in emerging fungal diseases is causing unprecedented threats to biodiversity. The origin of spread of the frog-killing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a matter of continued debate. To date, the historical amphibian declines in Brazil could not be attributed to chytridiomycosis; the high diversity of hosts coupled with the presence of several Bd lineages predating the reported declines raised the hypothesis that a hypervirulent Bd genotype spread from Brazil to other continents causing the recent global amphibian crisis. We tested for a spatio-temporal overlap between Bd and areas of historical amphibian population declines and extinctions in Brazil. A spatio-temporal convergence between Bd and declines would support the hypothesis that Brazilian amphibians were not adapted to Bd prior to the reported declines, thus weakening the hypothesis that Brazil was the global origin of Bd emergence. Alternatively, a lack of spatio-temporal association between Bd and frog declines would indicate an evolution of host resistance in Brazilian frogs predating Bd's global emergence, further supporting Brazil as the potential origin of the Bd panzootic. Here, we Bd-screened over 30 000 museum-preserved tadpoles collected in Brazil between 1930 and 2015 and overlaid spatio-temporal Bd data with areas of historical amphibian declines. We detected an increase in the proportion of Bd-infected tadpoles during the peak of amphibian declines (1979–1987). We also found that clusters of Bd-positive samples spatio-temporally overlapped with most records of amphibian declines in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Our findings indicate that Brazil is post epizootic for chytridiomycosis and provide another piece to the puzzle to explain the origin of Bd globally.<br/><br/>
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Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-80350631386509297362017-01-10T00:31:00.000-08:002017-01-10T00:31:19.234-08:00Refugia, connectivity, and transmission Connectivity is bad for Bd and good for frogs. Read more here:
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<a href="https://parasiteecology.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/refugia-connectivity-and-transmission/">https://parasiteecology.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/refugia-connectivity-and-transmission/</a>
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(The cartoon was taken from the parasite ecology blog.) Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-75782767109676370442016-12-22T23:58:00.001-08:002016-12-22T23:58:32.967-08:00"After the epidemic": New review paper on chytrid epidemics in Australian amphibians Ben Scheele and coauthors review the effects of chytridiomycosis on amphibian populations in Australia in a new paper in Biological Conservation (<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320716310126">http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320716310126</a>). <br/>
Some highlights from the abstract: <br/>
"Chytridiomycosis in amphibians (caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd) is an exemplar, with impacts ranging from rapid population crashes and extinctions, to population declines and subsequent recoveries." <br/>
"Population trajectories of declined species are highly variable; six species are experiencing ongoing declines, eight species are apparently stable and 11 species are recovering." <br/>
"Our results highlight that while some species are expanding, Bd continues to threaten species long after its emergence."<br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhU6wudmoaGoWab5DICEOBs_ivNwwo4cnQZij4Tz4aPHe9i9yD_bRfnyh4A2mgvCZlQLodlXzGIF5MZI4HPONIUKsavQ_N6-LXaeTe2sjHtBqDXpyZ8xUBqaXkD8gCjHf_SGazHYfB7w/s1600/scheele+fig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhU6wudmoaGoWab5DICEOBs_ivNwwo4cnQZij4Tz4aPHe9i9yD_bRfnyh4A2mgvCZlQLodlXzGIF5MZI4HPONIUKsavQ_N6-LXaeTe2sjHtBqDXpyZ8xUBqaXkD8gCjHf_SGazHYfB7w/s320/scheele+fig.jpg" width="320" height="200" /></a></div>Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-18552238402566123572016-10-17T03:37:00.000-07:002016-10-24T02:04:50.406-07:00Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience Watch out for the new issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society on "Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience". There will be several papers on chytrids. <br/>
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Access the articles here: <a href="http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/371/1709">http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/371/1709</a>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-mV3GMEIytM1pkBAg7dZxUfAaws9fdGYtDc9U6JS-R7IMx-Yp3KCCyxJBJlvl6d-mKVxRlJSkF0YOVto-ismgakIVT7VvdhTvi73T5kBo8LTgkkly0ZlsXTQzSMgWgI4qLrwKniWZ0/s1600/PTRS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-mV3GMEIytM1pkBAg7dZxUfAaws9fdGYtDc9U6JS-R7IMx-Yp3KCCyxJBJlvl6d-mKVxRlJSkF0YOVto-ismgakIVT7VvdhTvi73T5kBo8LTgkkly0ZlsXTQzSMgWgI4qLrwKniWZ0/s320/PTRS.JPG" width="228" height="320" /></a></div>Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-59751834278556040182016-09-26T08:32:00.001-07:002016-09-26T08:32:27.911-07:00Side effects of itraconazole on post-metamorphic Alytes obstetricans after a cold stressA small but important study on limitations of the use of itraconazole.
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Itraconazole is the most widely used treatment against Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the fungal pathogen causing chytridiomycosis, a proximate cause of amphibian declines. Several side effects of itraconazole treatment, ranging in severity from depigmentation to death have been reported in different amphibian species and life stages, and these side effects were observed at commonly used dosages of itraconazole. However, no studies have investigated side-effects of itraconazole in conjunction with environmental stress. Post-metamorphic midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) that were treated with itraconazole and subsequently exposed to a cold stress (exposure to 4°C cold water) had higher mortality rates compared to untreated individuals. Moreover, adults of booroolong frogs (Litoria booroolongensis) treated with itraconazole had a higher probability to become infected when subsequently exposed to Bd. Our results suggest that a post-metamorphosis itraconazole treatment of infected midwife toads combined with a subsequent release into the wild may be an ineffective disease mitigation strategy, as the cold stress during hibernation and/or exposure to Bd in the wild may reduce the hibernation emergence rate of treated individuals in this species.
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Study accepted in Amphibia ReptiliaDirk S. Schmellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12383711133890467664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-32536338324409153492016-09-26T08:27:00.001-07:002016-09-26T08:33:12.328-07:00The global amphibian trade flows through Europe: the need for enforcing and improving legislation
The global amphibian trade is suspected to have brought several species to the brink of extinction, and has led to the spread of amphibian pathogens. Moreover, international trade is not regulated for *98 % of species. Here we outline patterns and complexity underlying global amphibian trade, highlighting some loopholes that need to be addressed, focusing on the European Union. In spite of being one of the leading amphibian
importers, the EU’s current legislation is insufficient to prevent overharvesting of those species in demand or the introduction and/or spread of amphibian pathogens into captive and wild populations. We suggest steps to improve the policy (implementation and
enforcement) framework, including (i) an identifier specifically for amphibians in theWorld Customs Organisation’s harmonised system, (ii) Parties to CITES should strive to
include more species in the CITES appendices, and (iii) restriction or suspension of trade of threatened species, restricted-range species, and species protected in their country of origin. Commercial trade should not put survival of amphibian species further at risk.
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http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-016-1193-8?view=classic
Dirk S. Schmellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12383711133890467664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-25855655784540231262016-08-11T12:34:00.000-07:002016-08-11T12:34:30.220-07:00Predicting the future distribution of Bd under climate change Data from bd-maps.net was used to predict the global future distribution of Bd. <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0160746#pone.0160746.ref006">The paper was published in PLoS ONE and is freely available</a>. A key model prediction is "a broad expansion of areas environmentally suitable for establishment of Bd on amphibian hosts in the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere."
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir10lNpwLwYITN6h6Oa3vjDTqSP7GIKvimV02z2m9vov-cylEHn8Wt_F_RsP7QDdLFGrF-Qv7RCuZ6X1Z4H4unrN2qqw-GMj6790Lz7AIZr0jpHMY9MpTNMjSz83vbzBmSg6rGqPNgN9w/s1600/Bild1.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir10lNpwLwYITN6h6Oa3vjDTqSP7GIKvimV02z2m9vov-cylEHn8Wt_F_RsP7QDdLFGrF-Qv7RCuZ6X1Z4H4unrN2qqw-GMj6790Lz7AIZr0jpHMY9MpTNMjSz83vbzBmSg6rGqPNgN9w/s320/Bild1.png" width="229" height="320" /></a>
<br/> <br/>
The figure shows the predicted change in the distribution of (figure taken from the paper).
Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-81135068184895423842016-08-10T01:23:00.000-07:002016-08-10T01:23:20.265-07:00Chytrid in crayfish? A paper published in the journal Aquaculture claims that Bd was detected in farmed crayfish and that Bd causes mortality, pandemics and massive economic losses to aquaculture. The abstract of the paper can be found <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848616303957">here</a>. Unfortunately, there are several problems with the study. For example, infections do not look like typical Bd infection. While there are some papers on Bd in crayfish (<a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/110/1/210.abstract">here</a>), the new paper provides no strong new evidence for Bd in crayfish.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOhoZj6fGkJ4oML_U4NuiO8EGx2sf64Ryw9kFi9IRWY6FMsJdnOLM6PMhs1T17c0zy-lVBSXoTcyOI7coZxDicfPVQlvNF70aroeaB7TjsmsMFd9-kYV9T0x1TbvT89srTs73YC7xcEI/s1600/Macrobrachium_rosenbergii.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOhoZj6fGkJ4oML_U4NuiO8EGx2sf64Ryw9kFi9IRWY6FMsJdnOLM6PMhs1T17c0zy-lVBSXoTcyOI7coZxDicfPVQlvNF70aroeaB7TjsmsMFd9-kYV9T0x1TbvT89srTs73YC7xcEI/s320/Macrobrachium_rosenbergii.jpg" width="320" height="172" /></a>
<br/><br/>
Picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrobrachium_rosenbergii.Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-15719532759737529362016-08-03T12:06:00.000-07:002016-08-03T12:06:05.595-07:00 Chytrid responsible for one of fastest species declines ever recorded"Scientists battling to fight a lethal amphibian disease on two islands in Caribbean have witnessed what is believed to be one of the fastest range-wide declines ever recorded for any animal – pushing a critically endangered frog species towards the verge of extinction." <br/> <br/>
Read more on the website of the Zoological Society of London: <br/>
<a href="https://www.zsl.org/science/news/chytrid-responsible-for-one-of-fastest-species-declines-ever-recorded">https://www.zsl.org/science/news/chytrid-responsible-for-one-of-fastest-species-declines-ever-recorded</a> <br/> <br/>
Read the full paper here (open access):<br/>
<a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep30772">http://www.nature.com/articles/srep30772</a> <br/> <br/>
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Mountain chicken (c) ZSL Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-60963383256779073682016-05-23T03:58:00.001-07:002016-05-23T04:36:55.953-07:00(Are there) continental-scale drivers of amphibian decline A <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep25625">new paper published in Scientific Reports (link)</a> tested whether there are continental-scale drivers of amphibian decline (including Bd habitat suitability). Neither Bd nor other threats were found to be drivers of population decline at the continental level: "Our analysis uses data from across the United States to empirically test the relationship between change in the number of amphibian populations and hypothesized threats. We did not find support for a consistent relationship between rates of amphibian declines and distribution of stressors at the continental level." <br/> <br/>
An important finding is "that local amphibian populations are being lost from metapopulations at an average rate of 3.79% per year." <br/> <br/>
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Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-30427115390732968492016-03-25T06:57:00.001-07:002016-03-25T06:57:44.418-07:00Are amphibians evolving tolerance to Bd? A new paper by Anna Savage and Kelly Zamudio suggests that amphibian populations may be evolving tolerance to Bd. This result is based on the analysis of MHC loci. <br/> <br/> The authors write "Our findings indicate that selective pressure for Bd survival drives rapid immunogenetic adaptation in some natural populations, despite differences in environment and demography. Our field-based analysis of immunogenetic variation confirms that natural amphibian populations have the evolutionary potential to adapt to chytridiomycosis." <br/> <br/>
The paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society can be found here: <br/>
<a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/283/1827/20153115">http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/283/1827/20153115</a> <br/>
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Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-62811874105300647482016-03-24T00:13:00.000-07:002016-06-15T23:52:10.290-07:00The salamander-killing fungus is more widely distributed than previously known A new paper in Emerging Infectious Diseases shows that the salamander-killing chytrid fungus <i>Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans</i> occurs in the Netherlands (the index site where the first outbreak was observed), Belgium and also in Germany. In the wild, it infects <i>Salamandra salamandra</i>, <i>Ichthyosaura alpestris</i> and <i>Lissotriton vulgari</i>s.<br/><br/>
Read the full paper here: <br/>
<a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/7/16-0109_article">http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/7/16-0109_article</a> <br/>
PDF: <br/><a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/7/pdfs/16-0109.pdf">http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/7/pdfs/16-0109.pdf</a><br/>
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For more information on the fungus: <a href="http://www.salamanderfungus.org/">http://www.salamanderfungus.org/</a>
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Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-63572853201480845102016-02-15T10:54:00.000-08:002016-02-15T10:54:05.171-08:00James Cook University shutting down amphibian disease researchWe need your help.<br/>
<br/>
**James Cook University shutting down amphibian disease research**<br/>
<br/>
James Cook University plans to shut down the amphibian disease group (Dr. Lee Skerratt and Lee Berger) in the One Health Research Group, based on the argument that this topic does not fit the One Health Concept (since amphibian diseases are rarely transmitted to humans and livestock). Such argument fails to recognize the actual One Health Concept, in which biodiversity loss is intrinsically linked to human health and wellbeing.<br/>
<br/>
It is our feeling that any such decision, in which a leading, very successful research group is just made redundant, may affect all groups involved in the conservation of biodiversity. We feel it is very important that as scientists, we promote research into (in this case infectious) causes of biodiversity loss, also when diseases are concerned without immediate impact on human / livestock health. We therefore decided to convey our concern to James Cook University using the letter attached.<br/>
<br/>
If you would like to support the continuation of one of the most prominent amphibian disease research groups, then please send the letter (below the ### ) to<br/>
<br/>
University Council, JCU Chancellor@jcu.edu.au<br/>
Sandra Harding, Vice Chancellor, JCU, vc@jcu.edu.au<br/>
<br/>
(Sorry for cross posting)<br/>
<br/>
###<br/>
<br/>
Dear Vice Chancellor Professor Sandra Harding<br/>
and the University Council of James Cook University,<br/>
<br/>
We heard with regret of the planned changes at the One Health Research Group of JCU, which would result in the loss of one of the most prominent research groups at a global scale involved in biodiversity loss due to infectious diseases.<br/>
<br/>
Dr Lee Berger and Dr Lee Skerratt are among the world leaders in a high impact research field: amphibian declines. Whereas several institutions are now finally valuing the contribution of biodiversity to human health and wellbeing, we regret to see an opposite movement at JCU, narrowing the One Health principle to diseases affecting humans and livestock. One key component of One Health is indeed biodiversity, the loss of which indirectly affects both human and livestock health. This should not be narrowed down to diseases that are transmissible from wildlife. Several research groups have been advocating this comprehensive concept of One Health and this has been a very fruitful approach, leading to increased involvement in national and international policy and decision making.<br/>
<br/>
Given the internationally supported concept of One Health and the key position represented by the research group of Drs Berger and Skerratt, we feel that abandoning this line of research would result in reputational damage for JCU through the loss of a leading role in a research field of high societal relevance.<br/>
<br/>
We sincerely hope that the JCU vision will value the concept of One Health, in which currently it has a leading role, and will support the viability of the research group concerned with amphibian diseases as well as other infections of zoonotic or biodiversity concern.<br/>
<br/>
Yours sincerely,<br/>
Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-69620689834179280402016-01-19T12:31:00.001-08:002016-01-19T12:31:26.772-08:00What’s Causing Deadly Outbreaks of Fungal Diseases in World’s Wildlife?A great story by Elizabeth Kolbert:<br/>
<a href="What’s Causing Deadly Outbreaks of Fungal Diseases in World’s Wildlife?">http://e360.yale.edu/feature/whats_causing_deadly_outbreaks_of_fungal_diseases_in_worlds_wildlife/2949/</a> <br/> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharKavZLfMvL42llQhmM3OOPvo8JcB42xgV3K87rWIDbTEpzaQXIMpCJ-HhttYkTZs36ajHNrrJ_RSq6_nd67oZ0OoaRzQzLzQvBtL0HdjW3741OKttO_8y2tCJbdragT7s7gyRi4MaKo/s1600/red_spotted_newt_USFWS_e360-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharKavZLfMvL42llQhmM3OOPvo8JcB42xgV3K87rWIDbTEpzaQXIMpCJ-HhttYkTZs36ajHNrrJ_RSq6_nd67oZ0OoaRzQzLzQvBtL0HdjW3741OKttO_8y2tCJbdragT7s7gyRi4MaKo/s320/red_spotted_newt_USFWS_e360-b.jpg" /></a></div>Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-83263976787420606892016-01-13T04:22:00.000-08:002016-01-13T04:22:16.152-08:00US takes action to help keep the salamander-killing chytrid fungus out of the USA More here: <br/>
New York Times: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/science/us-restricts-movement-of-salamanders-for-their-own-good.html?_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/science/us-restricts-movement-of-salamanders-for-their-own-good.html?_r=0</a> <br/>
Amphibian Survival Alliance: <a href="http://www.amphibians.org/news/bsal-interim-rule/">http://www.amphibians.org/news/bsal-interim-rule/</a> <br/>
US Fish and Wildlife Service: <a href="http://www.fws.gov/injuriouswildlife/salamanders.html">http://www.fws.gov/injuriouswildlife/salamanders.html</a> <br/>
Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-27149136527872649362016-01-11T06:56:00.000-08:002016-01-11T06:56:01.139-08:00Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Salamander-Killing Chytrid (But Were Afraid to Ask)The Dutch amphibian, reptile and fish conservation organisation RAVON has new website of the salamander-killing chytrid fungus.
<br\>
<a href="http://www.ravon.nl/English/Research/Bsal/tabid/3820/Default.aspx">http://www.ravon.nl/English/Research/Bsal/tabid/3820/Default.aspx</a>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzHzLHPTHZZ0KmUbaeceLAcUOQAMF2ue00RzKLMdRSwBrKmrK91uHL_ygLIPgWc4jX06R4NgbcCnLibYS5Pz-zQSrOotQ2QPL59xUPiBQPeuivb-Xko0G9hjhFAnFdvKwlLPuXpMIbS4/s1600/snip.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzHzLHPTHZZ0KmUbaeceLAcUOQAMF2ue00RzKLMdRSwBrKmrK91uHL_ygLIPgWc4jX06R4NgbcCnLibYS5Pz-zQSrOotQ2QPL59xUPiBQPeuivb-Xko0G9hjhFAnFdvKwlLPuXpMIbS4/s320/snip.PNG" /></a></div>Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-84706406059169871082015-12-04T08:41:00.001-08:002015-12-04T09:07:22.214-08:00Berne Convention adopts recommendation on the prevention and control of the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans chytrid fungus Today the Standing Committee of the Berne Convention adopted a recommendation on the prevention and control of the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans chytrid fungus. The recommendation is very important. Now it is up to the national governments to act. <br />
<br /> <br />
<b>Recommendation No. 176 (2015) of the Standing Committee, adopted on 4 December 2015, on the prevention and control of the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans chytrid fungus </b>
<br /><br />
The Standing Committee to the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, acting under the terms of Article 14 of the Convention,<br /><br />
Having regard to the aims of the convention, which are to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats;<br /><br />
Recalling that Article 3 of the convention requires Parties to take the necessary steps to promote national policies for the conservation of wild flora, wild fauna and natural habitats, with particular attention to endangered and vulnerable species, especially endemic ones, and endangered habitats;
Stressing that according to the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA), 43% of amphibian species are declining in populations, and 32% are threatened;<(br /><br />
Noting that emerging fungal and fungal-like diseases are an increasingly important threat, causing population declines and extinctions of amphibians, the most threatened class of vertebrates;<br /><br />
Taking note with apprehension of the mass mortality and massive population declines (96% decline) in populations of Salamandra salamandra in the Netherlands caused by a novel chytrid fungus, the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans;<br /><br />
Worried about the fact that once the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans emerges in an area there is no method to mitigate its effects or to treat amphibian populations against it, making this fungal disease likely to have devastating effect on European salamander and newt biodiversity;<br /><br />
Noting that the disease is native of Asia and that it was introduced into Europe through the importing of exotic species mainly for pet trade purposes;
Recalling that the epidemiological impact of the trade is significant and may negatively affect conservation and trade economics;<br /><br />
Recalling that under Article 11, paragraph 2.b of the Convention, each Contracting Party undertakes to strictly control the introduction of non-native species;<br /><br />
Recalling Recommendation No. 99 (2003) of the Standing Committee on the European Strategy on Invasive Alien Species (IAS);<br /><br />
Aware that there are bio-security risks associated to importing animals the provenance and pathogens of which may be unknown;<br /><br />
Recalling the CBD Technical Series No. 48 on Pets, Aquarium, and Terrarium Species: Best Practices for Addressing Risks to Biodiversity, which notes that there are significant gaps in global regulations of infectious disease and suggests risk assessment and screening approaches to potentially invasive pathogens;<br /><br />
Further recalling the Best Practices in Pre-Import Risk Screening for Species of Live Animals in International Trade, prepared by the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) focussing on “best practices” to address the risks associated with imports of live non-native animals and their parasites and pathogens in international trade;<br /><br />
Aware that pet trade may not necessarily be the only pathway of introduction of the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in Europe;<br /><br />
Noting that it is extremely important that the spread of the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans is halted or at least slowed down and that the introduction into a Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans-negative region is prevented;<br /><br />
Stressing that the disease may spread across countries and that its effective prevention and control will necessarily require transnational cooperation and coordinated response to new outbreaks,<br /><br />
Recommends that Contracting Parties:<br /><br />
1. Apply biosafety rules to field-work (including licenses where appropriate), to visitors of breeding sites of fire salamander and newts, and to the conservation and captive collections of amphibians, against known or emerging pathogens that may be introduced – inter alia – through animal trade, and against the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans as a matter of urgency. In order to ensure the implementation of biosafety measures in all relevant conservation programmes, effective protocols for the treatment of amphibians affected by the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans should be developed and their prompt, wide and free circulation between Contracting Parties guaranteed;<br /><br />
2. Carry out appropriate science-based pre-import risk screening for infectious diseases of live animals in animal trade;<br /><br />
3. Impose immediate restrictions on salamander and newt trade while a scientific risk assessment is being developed and until necessary measures are designed, as a preventive measure against the introduction of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans through pet trade;<br /><br />
4. Establish monitoring programmes to control the possible further spread of the disease, with the view of developing an early warning system for pan-Europe and enable the quick detection of disease driven loss of biodiversity;<br /><br />
5. Establish, as a matter of urgency, monitoring programs for salamander and newt populations in areas of high risk (e.g. areas near disease outbreaks; areas with endemic species such as the Alps, the Pyrenees and islands in the Mediterranean);<br /><br />
6. Restrict the human induced spreading as well as the transport of amphibians where controls of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans diseases are applied in areas monitored under point 5;<br /><br />
7. Develop, as soon as possible, emergency action plans that will allow prompt responses should Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans approach high risk populations of salamander and newt species (e.g. endemic species in the Alps, the Pyrenees and islands in the Mediterranean);<br /><br />
8. Support research into the biology, epidemiology, and mitigation of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans;<br /><br />
9. Support research on the conservation biology of European salamander and newt, particularly to improve knowledge on the demography and population dynamics;<br /><br />
10. Design and implement public awareness campaigns focused on prevention, biosafety and surveillance;<br /><br />
11. Keep the Standing Committee informed of the measures taken to implement this recommendation.<br /><br />
<br /><br />
The full text (PDF) of the recommendation can be found here:
<a href="https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=2395245&Site=&BackColorInternet=B9BDEE&BackColorIntranet=FFCD4F&BackColorLogged=FFC679">https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=2395245&Site=&BackColorInternet=B9BDEE&BackColorIntranet=FFCD4F&BackColorLogged=FFC679</a>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sNK_SZstz3-8D8mohOkgBSKSYMDGF9EJ296YDd7Z9SfGMcJWLwyddi104wQ7eMT1GNx5LFX27j_TyKq1NnPG_f91zlZqs2Wznh91vZfTx92WXONfhh5BHrQHenP19kMJdzS11Jfpk_I/s1600/LOGO_Bern+%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sNK_SZstz3-8D8mohOkgBSKSYMDGF9EJ296YDd7Z9SfGMcJWLwyddi104wQ7eMT1GNx5LFX27j_TyKq1NnPG_f91zlZqs2Wznh91vZfTx92WXONfhh5BHrQHenP19kMJdzS11Jfpk_I/s320/LOGO_Bern+%25283%2529.png" /></a></div>Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-44694774214063294182015-11-21T03:27:00.000-08:002015-11-21T03:27:23.067-08:00Success! Bd eradicated from Mallorca. Read the full story here:<br />
<a href="http://www.zsl.org/science/news/scientists-discover-method-to-eliminate-killer-fungus-in-amphibians">http://www.zsl.org/science/news/scientists-discover-method-to-eliminate-killer-fungus-in-amphibians </a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bSQJm1WHiaBoxcN4G2R3ncwkC_Rmp5q7k0W5tghX_55yHROCOvuxqF5T-FyLqnKLA0b9VSWGJHwlbCXKqsf1ubTyVLU3idkAiGy1AO8MEuTEjX5VCgHp2PinEiIekOPi-tu0Zp8tEiQ/s1600/SciSource_FC7593-1024x662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bSQJm1WHiaBoxcN4G2R3ncwkC_Rmp5q7k0W5tghX_55yHROCOvuxqF5T-FyLqnKLA0b9VSWGJHwlbCXKqsf1ubTyVLU3idkAiGy1AO8MEuTEjX5VCgHp2PinEiIekOPi-tu0Zp8tEiQ/s320/SciSource_FC7593-1024x662.jpg" /></a></div>
Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418011793524089088.post-41330929662439754282015-09-27T23:37:00.000-07:002015-09-27T23:37:26.829-07:00Amphibians under threat There is a great article by Trent Garner on chytrids (and some other pathogens) in "<a href="http://www.nerc.ac.uk/latest/publications/planetearth/">Planet Earth</a>", the NERC newsletter. <a href="http://www.nerc.ac.uk/latest/publications/planetearth/aut15-amphibians/"> <br/>
Get the pdf here. </a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ITwrM4C2wQokwZtbl4z-kwQMFXbyEVsr-0SUqpvKcPP3ypT-sCz6MhHFTjdI4ywKvnJDb4vki0fyhX6xOpYDud_FWXxvNb8M8j7O0zaL8mE1FNIzOkxkVGYOdZeAd6s0LSiLSshrP4Y/s1600/pelatest110x155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ITwrM4C2wQokwZtbl4z-kwQMFXbyEVsr-0SUqpvKcPP3ypT-sCz6MhHFTjdI4ywKvnJDb4vki0fyhX6xOpYDud_FWXxvNb8M8j7O0zaL8mE1FNIzOkxkVGYOdZeAd6s0LSiLSshrP4Y/s320/pelatest110x155.jpg" /></a></div>Benedikt Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17191709883896699437noreply@blogger.com0