Bd-Maps

Frog-killing fungus is a skin-loving hybrid

2011-11-24T01:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to an interesting Scientific American article by Lucas Brouwers

'There be Monsters' - the discovery of BdGPL

2011-11-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Farrer et al describe in PNAS the first whole-genome resequencing of Bd from isolates worldwide. This study has provided a wealth of new data, including the unexpected discovery of three divergent lineages of Bd. One lineage has only been recovered from Switzerland (BdCH) and another from South Africa and the Mediterranean island of Mallorca (BdCAPE). The third lineage, BdGPL, occurs worldwide and is the only lineage associated with declines in Europe (Pyrenees & Iberia), Central America, North America (Sierra Nevadas) and Australia. Laboratory tests show that BdGPL is hypervirulent when compared to BdCAPE, and emerged some time in the 20th Century. Genomic patterns in BdGPL shows that it arose only once and is likely a hybrid. So, what is this data telling us? Firstly, the intercontinental spread of Bd is clearly owing to human movement of amphibians: that is how BdCAPE came 'jump' from the African Cape to Mallorca. Secondly, BdGPL is a recombinant offspring resulting from mating between two lineages of Bd. Whether these were brought together by the trade in amphibians resulting in the creation of a 'fungal superbug' remains to be determined.

Links to news stories in the New Scientist, NERC Planet Earth and the BBC.

RACE and chytrid mitigation in the swiss news

2011-10-20T00:42:00.000-07:00

The swiss newspaper NZZ published an article on how RACE members develop methods to mitigate the effects of Bd:
http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/hintergrund/wissenschaft/der_pilz_und_das_froschsterben_1.13045153.html

Amphibian immunity is associated with resistance to Bd

2011-09-28T01:40:00.000-07:00

Savage and Zamudio report in PNAS that survival following infection by Bd is associated with major histocompatability genotype. Two of the five experimental infected populations of lowland leopard frogs (Lithobates yavapaiensis) had significantly elevated survival. This survival was associated with alleles at MHC class IIB and heterozygosity at the locus (see figure). This observation likely has wider significance; for instance Tobler and Schmidt have demonstrated among-population variation in survival for Swiss populations of midwives Alytes obstetricans (PLoS One). Therefore, Evolutionary Conservation, by breeding for resistance, is increasingly looking like a viable tool to combat chytridiomycosis. The hunt is on!

High Prevalence of Bd in Gabon

2011-09-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

Bell et al have reported in Ecohealth a high prevalence of Bd from two national parks in Gabon, Monts de Cristal and Ivindo. Bd was detected in 20 of the 42 species and was present at all three sites surveyed with high prevalence (19.6%–36.0%). Both national parks were Bd-positive at all elevations and across habitat types, though no dead or dying frogs were encountered. This last observation is in keeping with those made in other regions of Africa, barring dieoffs reported from Kihansi and the Drakensburg. Bell et al's report contrasts with those of Gratwick et al who sampled other regions of Gabon: all were negative. Therefore, there appears to be a high degree of spatial heterogeneity in the prevalence of Bd in Gabon which begs the question, Why?

Press coverage in the Pyrenees

2011-08-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Matthew Fisher and Dirk Schmeller, an English and a German researcher, out to save the world for the Midwife toad in the Pyrenees. That is about the summary of our recent appearance on the French regional TV channel France 3. In between our field work, and just before testing the RACE-Duster on a steep forest road, we also had an interview by La Republique. Finally, earlier this year, the Moulis group starred in another short report for France 3, covering the region of Midi-Pyrenees. You can find the reports under the following links

France 3 - Aquitaine Soir3 (at about 3:40)

France 3 - Aquitaine 19:20 (at about 19 min)

La Republique

France 3 - Midi-Pyrenees

Btw. in case you have missed it on the Aquitaine report, Matthew made sure that the camerawoman films my best side. Check the reflection in the window.

CJM 'Emerging infectious mycoses'

2011-07-05T01:21:00.000-07:00

The Conference Jacques Monod meeting on 'Emerging Infectious Fungi' at Roscoff, Bretagne, has just occurred. Organised by Mat Fisher & Tatiana Giraud, the meeting focused on gathering the 'state of the art' together to identify common themes between the 'red' (animal) and 'green' (plant) emerging fungi. Much of what was discussed focused on the role of transcontinental vectoring of pathogens and lack of coherent biosecurity worldwide. Presentations also focused on the mechanisms that generate lineages with enhanced virulence, and ability to switch to new hosts. Ecological mechanisms allowing penetrance of novel fungi into new environments were discussed and genomic tools to track rapidly evolving lineages were detailed. From the meeting, it was clear that we have a proactive and highly knowlegeable community with the ability to speak with one voice. To prevent the further attrition of biodiversity worldwide we need to use this skill to influence those with the power to leverage changes to current practice.

UV-B lowers the prevalence of Bd infection

2011-06-23T01:45:00.000-07:00

Spanish and UK researchers have shown that common toad tadpoles shielded from environmental UV-B radiation have a higher prevalence of infection compared to animals that were exposed to natural levels of UV-B. This association was also observed for the European midwife Alytes, where the prevalence of infection across the Iberian peninsula was inversly correlated with the intensity of natural UV-B. While it is not known why this inverse association occurs the research, published in Conservation Biology, suggests that increasing UVB may affect host behaviour, making transmission of Bd more unlikely, or may stimulate natural the antimicrobial properties of amphibians to reduce infection rates. The research illustrates the importance of considering multiple stressors when analyzing the complex ecological dynamics of infection by Bd.

Global pandemic affects amphibians – Are you ready to react?

2011-06-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

After the publication, we received over 500 responses for the moment, most of them from France, but also from Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway and other European countries. Please, help us spreading the word about this research. The questionnaire exists in three languages

French: http://www.bd-maps.eu/survey/?lang=fr
German: http://www.bd-maps.eu/survey/?lang=de
English: http://www.bd-maps.eu/survey/

Find below the original post.

Please help our research! Currently, we have few means for treating Bd in the wild, and only an active prevention strategy can reduce the further spread of the fungus, and help save our amphibian species. In mountainous regions, walkers, hikers, naturalists, and inhabitants can intervene. Simple gestures may slow down the epidemic, but are you ready to change your habitats? Researchers need to better understand the mechanism of propagation of this pathogen. To assist this research, the RACE project collects data on hiking habits and attitude towards possible conservation measures to stop the spread of this fungus and further amphibian declines. This survey will help this group of researchers to develop mitigation and conservation strategies that are adapted to the public.

Our survey will take you only about 15 minutes and your responses are extremely important and valuable to the researchers!

Please help us and thank you by answering sincerely!
Start the survey here

Elevated temperature clears chytrid fungus infections from tadpoles of the midwife toad

2011-05-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

A new study by Corina Geiger et al. (University of Zurich, Switzerland) that was recently published in the journal Amphibia-Reptilia shows that prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures clears chytrid fungus infection in tadpoles of the midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans).
The article is available at
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/amre/2011/00000032/00000002/art00015
For PDF reprints, send a mail to benedikt.schmidt ät ieu.uzh.ch

Shiver Bd! New review on mitigation methods published

2011-04-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

A team of amphibian conservation biologists led by Doug Woodhams (University of Zurich, Switzerland) published a review on methods how to mitigate the effects of Bd and chytridiomycosis. The review was published in the open access online journal Frontiers in Zoology:
http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/8/1/8/abstract

Austrian data comes online...

2011-04-07T04:28:00.001-07:00

Marc Sztatecsny and Florian Glaser have published the first survey of Bd from Austria in the Herpetological Journal 21:87-90. 30% of sampled sites are positive for 9 species including Bombina bombina. The study detected Bd at the highest site in the European Alps to date at 1630 m a.s.l. in Alpine newts. This data is now publically available on www.bd-maps.eu and the global mapping site Bd-Maps.net

Opportunities to join RACE

2011-04-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

If you would like to join RACE, here's an opportunity for funding! There are open calls for Marie Curie fellowships:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.PeopleDetailsCallPage&call_id=395

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.PeopleDetailsCallPage&call_id=396

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.PeopleDetailsCallPage&call_id=397

If you would like to join the RACE team, then please contact one of the RACE team leaders.

Belgium -Dr Frank Pasmans (frank.pasmans@ugent.be)
France - Professor Claude Miaud (claud.miaud@univ-savoie.fr), Dr Dirk Schmeller (dirk.schmeller@EcoEc-Moulis.cnrs.fr)
Germany - Dr Klaus Henle (Klaus.Henle@ufz.de)
Spain - Dr Jaime Bosch (bosch@mcnc.csic.es)
Switzerland - Dr Benedikt Schmidt (benedikt.schmidt@ieu.uzh.ch)
UK - Dr Andrew Cunningham (a.cunningham@ioz.ac.uk) and Dr Matthew Fisher (matthew.fisher@imperial.ac.uk)

Bd population genomics at Asilomar

2011-03-22T03:12:00.000-07:00

The bi-annual 26th Fungal Genetics Conference at Asilomar saw a flurry of Bd-related activity being reported. Both Rhys Farrer (Imperial College) and Jason Staijch (UC Riverside) gave talks on the population genomics of Bd from geographically and genetically diverse strains. Both studies report patchy distributions of diversity across Bd's genome, likely owing to loss-of-heterozygosity events. Whether this results from meiotic or mitotic events remains to be seen. Jason reported the release of his comparative genomics tool, FungiDB; this is going to be a great asset to the community, great stuff Jason! Posters were exhibited on putative virulence factors (the CBM18 chitin-binding domain gene expansion: Abramyan & Stajich), the distribution of Bd in British Columbia (LeBlanc, Hintz & Anholt), functional genomics of Bd (Thomas Poorten & Rosenblum), the detection of rhodopsin-like genes in Bd that are indicative of phototactic responses (Medina, Restrepo & Stajich) and the population genomics of Bd (Rhys Farrer et al). Well done to Rhys for winning a poster prize, 'Eukaryotic Cell' is a great bedtime read.....The poster abstracts can be downloaded here.

RACEing ahe.........ah, you know

2011-03-01T02:22:00.001-08:00

Currently sitting in the 3rd meeting of the RACE network, rather the extended RACE network, as this meeting is well-attended by extraRACErs (Giulia Tessa, Italy, Vojtech Balaz, Czech Republich, Goncalo Rosa, Portugal, Emilien Luquet, France). The meeting is a success due to the contributions of the PhD students (half of the attendees and the majority of the presentations). Topics range from modelling disease dynamics, mitigation, Bd genomics, spatial epidemiology, assessing effects in wild amphibian populations, trade, policy.....meeting our RACE deliverables is certainly RACEing ahead, thanks to the outstanding science done by these students. However, it's very clear that there are far more issues to hand than those being addressed. More later.....

Shiver Bd! The Mitigators are coming!

2010-10-20T01:04:00.000-07:00

Interest and excitement is gathering around the concept of mitigating the lethal effects of Bd by either reducing the threshold burden of infection, or by completely removing Bd from key infected environments. The Zurich Bd mitigation workshop was the first global meeting to address potential mitigation strategies by sharing experience and data, and planning new approaches as well as collaborations. Approaches that were considered in the workshop varied from (i) manipulating pre-epizootic host density; (ii) bioaugmentation with Bd-cidal probiotic bacteria; (iii) antifungal approaches to treating hosts and habitats; (iv) immunisation using recently-discovered hyovirulent/avirulent strains of Bd, or other vaccine technologies; (v) biocontrol with copepods or other zoospore-predators and (vi) ex-situ captive breeding followed by re-introduction with individuals that have undergone 'assisted evolution'. From the meeting, it was clear that not only are there many approaches that can be used, but also several ongoing programs. Indeed, the title for this post is the slogan coined by Jaime Bosch for his new Santander 'Zero' mitigation grant focusing on removing Bd from Mallorca and Alytes muletensis. Indeed, perhaps the time has come to 'Shiver Bd; the mitigators are coming!'. We anticipate appropriate mugs and T-shirts to appear in CafePress soon so stay tuned.....

But hope springs eternal....

2010-10-06T04:29:00.000-07:00

Bad news from Mat re: the Pyrenees, but what can be done about it? Recent news articles (Sierra Nevadas: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/science/05frog.html?_r=1&hpw Mallorca: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100609/full/465680a.html ) show that some of us are trying some things out. Since mitigating any infectious diseases of wildlife is no small task, we need to share experiences, methods, project ideas and results at a global scale. Doug Woodhams and Benedikt Schmidt have organized a Bd mitigation workshop to run Oct 14/15 in Zuerich, Switzerland. Invitees include Cherie Briggs, Vance Vredenburg, Roland Knapp, Jaime Bosch, Mat Fisher, Reid Harris, Lisa Belden, Brian Gratwicke, Ross Alford, Erin Muths, Ursina Tobler, Leyla Davis, Corina Geiger, Sara Bell, Vicky Flechas, Louis Rollins-Smith and yours truly. Those of you not invited, don't worry, this is merely the first such meeting (and as such numbers had to be kept small) and the plan is to make a book of abstracts, notes and minutes available to all and sundry. This first meeting is global in nature, but herewith a challenge: why not organize your own, regional or even local, workshop on Bd mitigation (heck, on amphibian disease mitigation) to get the process moving for your amphibian assemblages threatened with disease? And remember to communicate the outcome of any meeting widely. Like on this blog, for instance.

More bad news from the Pyrenees as Bd spreads

2010-10-04T03:25:00.000-07:00

Bd in the Pyrenees is concentrated into a group of lakes in the Vallee d'Aspe and Ossau. Within this region, one lake in the Ansabere valley, Lescun, has remained Bd free. Lac Lhurs supports a very large population of Alytes, and constitutes one of the main chytridiomycosis-free refuges for these amphibians. However, this has now changed and a low prevalence of infection (~15%) was detected for the first time in 2009. This year, 2010, infection with Bd has increased dramatically to 100% and the first chytridiomycosis mortalities were observed in September. We are still unclear about the mechanism that Bd uses to spread between lakes: Lac Lhurs is shielded from other valleys by a cirque of high peaks that may have limited vector-borne transmission via birds or other vertebrates. This may explain why the Lac remained uninfected in this heavily-infected region for so long. How did Bd arrive? As with so many other aspects of this enigmatic pathogens life-history, we do not know. However, we do know that this otherwise pristine population of amphibians now faces an uncertain future.

A bad year in the Pyrenees for Alytes

2010-10-04T02:54:00.000-07:00

2010 has not been a good year for our sentinel species, Alytes, in the outbreak sites of the Pyrenees. The season was hard due to a very cold start - our dataloggers showed that the high altitude Lakes in the Vallee d'Aspe did not thaw until the 1st of June. The amphibians consequently had to hurry their development, and the emergence of Alytes in August was late, and characterised by very high mortality due to chytridiomycosis in several of our study lakes. Lac Arlet, on the GR10 pathway, was the scene of large die-offs and the Imperial College tream found over 350 mortalities in a single day. Die-offs here were still being recorded in early September, detected by local volunteers. Whether the cold early-season is linked to these unusually high mortalities is one of the questions that is currently being worked on.

Endemic v Epizootic Bd in the US Sierra Nevadas

2010-05-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

Two papers in PNAS document 13 years work on the emergence of Bd in the Sierra Nevadas by Vance Vredenberg and Cheryl Briggs. The papers contrast two montane scenarios, one where Bd is causing a year-on-year extirpation of mountain yellow-legged frogs Rana muscosa (see picture), and one where Bd has formed a stable persistent association with the frogs. Cheryl and Vance argue, and show using mathematical models, that these dynamics can be explained by density-dependent host-pathogen dynamics. So, if Bd hits a naive high-density population, then individuals are overwhelmed by high-intensity infections and the population is lost. Conversly, lower-density populations can tolerate lower Bd loads and persist. The conclusions from these studies parallel what has been observed in other regions, Australia (Taudactylus eungellensis) and Europe (Alytes obstetricans), where low-density populations persist past the epizootic 'hit'. An idea that is mooted from this work: that mitigation of infection may be possible by manipulating infection loads in the wild, perhaps by removing asymptomatic reservoirs (such as overwintering larvae). So, perhaps the best way to conserve a species is to decrease it to below a predicted critical density in advance of the wave of spread. Could this be used in the Pyrenees where infection is still very local? And, are such population manipulations ethically defensible? Many of these ideas will no doubt be discussed in the upcoming Bd mitigation workshop in Zurich this autumn.

Filming RACE

2010-04-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Two days of filming have just ended, they will be cut down to 5 minutes by the end of April. Kerala Productions brought over a small team to get explanations on RACE and Chytridiomycosis, focusing on our main sampling area - the Pyrenees. Pierre and Pauline made some nice shots, happily taking all moving amphibians on tape. They got explanations on the whole range of RACE work, starting from sampling , marking and swabbing individuals to the genetic methods and behavioural experiments. They also were part of the world premier - the implementation of ALPHA tags into Alytes tadpoles.

So, lets wait what is the end result. In any case, it was fun and two days did fly by quickly.

Looking forward seeing the result!

RACEing ahead (as Mat likes to say)

2010-02-17T00:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, the European Bd project is having it's second meeting. Aside from the rather kitch Star Trek allegories, the meeting is extremely informative. Highlights include updates on the Swiss surveillance and mitigation projects, Jaime's work on Iberian endangered species, temporal patterns of Bd infection in adult toads and the Mallorcan mitigation project and a fantastic experiment by Emilien and Sandrine from Lyon examining the interaction between experimental Bd challenge and host population isolation. Currently we are in the midst of a spatialepidemiology.net workshop, led by David and Chris, learning how to real time our data into the European (and, by extension, the global) d-base. Our EU network grows: we have at a minimum another ten active Bd research groups in Europe, and several others readying themselves for initiating projects. At least 5 new PhDs in Europe working on Bd!

While it's clear that field projects in France have some time before starting (we are meeting in Grenoble and the snow and temperature are clear indicators of that), we are gearing up for field work at some of the warmer locales. Jaime will soon start another Iberia-wide field trip, interrupted by a collaborative project with Judit Voros (sorry, Judit, no idea how to do umlauts in Blogger) in Hungary, and Jon Bielby and I should be heading to Sardinia soon to continue our collaborative project with Zirichiltaggi and Ente Foreste Sarda.

A challenge to our North American counterparts: start blogging!

Living the high life is risky business for midwive's in Iberia

2010-02-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

Walker et al. have published their long-awaited survey of the prevalence of Bd across the Iberian peninsula in Ecology Letters. The study focuses on common midwives, Alytes muletensis, and combines multilocus genotyping with bayesian analyses to show that Bd is not at equilibrium within Iberia, but is still spreading. While lowland populations of Alytes appear to co-exist with the chytrid, high-altitude populations exhibit chytridiomycosis and seasonal die-offs, demonstrating a very strong interaction between altitude/temperature and disease. Within a key region, the Pyrenean mountain range, Bd is absent across the majority of the range except for a tight cluster of genotypically-identical Bd strains in the western Pyrenean National Park. How Bd arrived in this region is not known: there are no known introduced non-native amphibian species in this area however the montane lakes are regularly 'seeded' with salmonid fish for the angling industry. Efforts now need to focus on the process of introduction and spread, as it is a key concern to prevent the wider spread of Bd throughout this ecologically sensitive region.

Terrestrial chytridiomycosis

2010-01-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Sara Weinstein has published an exciting study of Bd infecting and affecting a strictly terrestrial plethodontid salamander in the Western US (Weinstein Copeia 2009(4): 653-660). She provides strong evidence for a historical relationship between Batrachoseps attenuatus and Bd, going back as far as 1973, that seems to involve mortality of the species in the field. Her experiments convincingly show that Bd infection leads to death in the species and some insight into the link between environmental moisture and mortality. Fascinating work on a host species not expected to be so strongly affected by a supposedly aquatic parasite. This, along with the recent paper in Molecular Ecology by Goka et al. (2009, vol 18(23): 4757-4774) are the most significant papers on chytridiomycosis, caudate hosts and historical interactions to come along for quite some time.

'Extinction in our times: global amphibian decline'

2009-09-16T03:58:00.000-07:00

Jim Collins and Martha Crump have published a 304-page book on amphibian declines. Extinction in our times sets out the key events that led to a realisation that amphibian declines were not only real, but were also occurring globally. Collins & Crump have written an impartial and detailed overview of the known, and unknown factors driving declines, as well as the complex inter-relationships between scientific agendas, industrial interests, government policy and conservation ethics. It's a great read, essential for all those who work on, or are interested in, amphiban declines. A review of the book by Mat Fisher can be read in PLoS Biology.

More Bad News for Mountain Chickens

2009-05-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

As previously posted, the Mountain Chicken Frog, Leptodactylus fallax, suffered catastrophic decline due to the emergence of Bd on the island of Dominica. Previous research had shown that the only other island where the species occurs, Montserrat, was Bd-free (Garcia et al. 2007, Oryx 41(3): 398-401). This is no longer the case. Bd emerged this spring on Montserrat, and dead chooks were first detected near the main port, suggesting that Bd came onto Montserrat through interisland trade (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7948124.stm). Whatever the route of introduction, Bd has spread rapidly and it is starting to look like we may add another species to the extinct in the wild due to Bd category. Calling males are almost never heard on Dominica, and what few frogs are found there are usually morbund due to advanced chytridiomycosis. The Montserrat frogs already inhabited a narrow range due to the destruction of much of their habitat by the Soufriere Hills volcano.

Durrell, ZSL, the Montserrat government and others mobilized a massive effort to collect as many chooks as they could on Montserrat and these animals have been sent to biosecure facilities (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30685047/) where they have been treated with Itraconazole and are being monitored regularly for signs of disease. The group at London Zoo appears to have responded well to treatment and males are active and, according to Ian Stephen, relatively unafraid of the activities of the staff. Hopes are that the species will be bred successfully at multiple institutions. Unfortunately, this does not address the presence of Bd on both islands that the species is native to.

SAVE THE FROGS DAY - April 28th 2009

2009-04-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

To raise awareness of the plight of amphibians, the scientific community has declared April 28th, 2009, the 1st Annual 'Save the Frogs Day'.

The aim of this day is to spread the word about the plight of amphibians. The goal of Save the Frogs Day is to make the amphibian extinction crisis common knowledge by 2010: Help make it happen!

All information about Save the Frogs, and April the 28th, can be found here at the SAVE THE FROGS website.

Frogs: The Thin Green Line

2009-03-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

You can see 'FROGS: The Thin Green Line' on PBS at 8pm EST. The makers of this film have done a great job of mapping Bd presence across space and time-series based on data produced by the Global Bd-Mapping Project.

New European Network on Chytridiomycosis Funded

2009-01-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

The funding organisation BiodiverERsA has funded a new EU Network to investigate the emergence of Bd in Europe. RACE (Risk Assessment of Chytridiomycosis to European Amphibians) has been awarded 2,258,000 € to implement the first pan-European attempt to mitigate disease. The project aims to (i) identify the natural and anthropogenic drivers of chytridiomycosis in Europe (ii) improve national and pan-European competence in surveillance and diagnosis and to determine the geographic scope of the problem by developing laboratory diagnostic facilities and a state-of-the-art surveillance framework (iii) acquire field-data on the prevalence, intensity and timing of infection/mortalities and (iv) to develop spatial-genetic information and to integrate these into the global genotype dataset to identify the timing, and frequency, of Bd introduction(s) into Europe, as well as assessing the differential virulence of genotypes.

The data and scientific outputs produced by RACE will be used to develop a standardised EU-wide monitoring scheme by disseminating information to national and international stakeholders and by building collaborations in under-surveyed countries; these approaches will be formalised into a European Threat Abatement Plan (ETAP). The kick-off meeting for RACE is in Moulis, the French Pyrenees, in March 2009.

RACE is composed of a core group of laboratories in the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Switzerland. However, a core goal of RACE is to capacity build outside of these core-countries and research groups. Interest in RACE, and participation, are warmly welcomed; contact Matthew Fisher (matthew.fisher@imperial.ac.uk) and Trent Garner (trent.garner@ioz.ac.uk) for further information.

Sir David Attenborough Tells London Zoo Audience That European Amphibians Are In Trouble

2008-09-26T02:22:00.000-07:00

Sir David Attenborough, Patron of AArk, hosted an evening on 'Amphibians in a climate of change' as an awareness-raiser about the plight of amphibians. Jonathan Baillie, Trent Garner and Helen Meredith gave talks on the current and future challenges facing amphibians. Factors including climate change, habitat destruction and disease that could wipe out more than half of Europe’s amphibians by 2050, according to Trent Garner from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Helen Meredith, amphibians co-ordinator for ZSL's Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) programme, warned: "There is no time to waste if we are to prevent further species loss. "We need to reduce carbon emissions, but also address other pressing factors including habitat destruction and spread of diseases."

Captive Breeding Introduced Bd To Mallorcan Midwife Toads

2008-09-26T01:53:00.000-07:00

The Mallorcan midwife toad, Alytes muletensis, is one of the worlds most highly endangered amphibian species. Presumed extinct until 1978, the species was 're-discovered' hiding in the arid Sierra de Tramuntana mountains in the north of the Island; the species has subsequently been the focus of a highly successful captive-breeding and reintroduction program. However, mortalities and subsequent detection of high-prevalence infection by Bd clustered into two adjacent breeding-sites rang alarm-bells. Subsequent investigations, reported by Walker et al in Current Biology showed that introduced Alytes were infected by Bd as early as 1989, and had likely picked up the infection in captivity. The paper reports the first use of sequence-typing to demonstrate that island genotypes of Bd are identical, and unrelated to others found in Europe, strengthening the hypothesis that a single introduction of Bd had occurred. The paper reinforces the need for stringent biosecurity methods to prevent cross-transmission of known and unknown pathogens in captivity. As Kevin Zippel of AArk states "It's a much-needed wake-up call. We must do everything in our power to assess and minimize the risks."

6 WCH Manaus

2008-09-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Sixth World Congress of Herpetology is now over, and a brief report on the opening sessions can be found in the latest issue of Froglog (http://www.amphibians.org/newsletter/Froglog88.pdf). The conference was a roaring success, and not just due to the sloths that chose to roost in the trees at the conference venue or the dolphins that swam by the hotel, clearly visible to those conference particpants basking in the infinity pool. Bd was well-represented at one symposium co-organized by Jean-Marc Hero, Erin Muths and your truly, and talks in the symposium (or given just slightly outside the symposium) ranged from treatment to spatial analyses to a test of the Out Of Africa hypothesis to amphibian trade and infectious diseases. Some of the talks from this and two other symposia (Conservation Genetics and Invasive Herps) will form a special issue of the journal Animal Conservation.

The distribution of Bd in Europe grows.....

2008-08-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Bad news, more Bd to be found in Europe, and this time in one of Europe's most endangered amphibians. As we report in the July issue of Journal of Wildlife Diseases, Bd infection was found in diseased Sardinian brook newts (Bovero et al 2008 Detection of Chytridiomycosis Caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the Endangered Sardinian Newt (Euproctus platycephalus) in Southern Sardinia, Italy, J Wildl Dis 44: 712-715). We (the ZSL amphibian disease team and "Zirichiltaggi" S. W. C. Non-profit Association for Wildlife Conservation) have been carrying out further surveys in Sardinia and have found further evidence of infection in Sardinia's native (and endemic) amphibian fauna, along with evidence of Bd-driven mortality.

Meeting the challenge of conserving Madagascar's megadiverse amphibians : addition of a risk-assessment for the chytrid fungus

2008-07-07T01:58:00.000-07:00

Frogs from Madagascar constitute one of the richest groups of amphibian fauna in the world, with currently 238 described species. Madagascar may be the only region of the world where amphibians are still surviving in a pre-decline phase, and where pro-active conservation measures are likely to work. Andreone et al. describe the development of an amphibian action plan for Madagascar, and show that Madagascar is a top priority for amphibian conservation. As a reply to Andreone et al, Lotters et al in PLoS Biology extend the argument by assessing the level of threat that the introduction of Bd poses to Madagascar's amphibians. Ecological niche-modelling revealed that there is a high risk of Bd spreading post-introduction over a major portion of Madagascar and areas most suitable for Bd largely overlap with both areas of highest amphibian species richness. This study reinforces the point that conservation efforts need to go beyond 'classical' strategies by incorporating stringent biosecurity measures into their planning.

New breeding captivity program at the Peñalara Natural Park

2008-03-10T05:13:00.000-07:00

The local government of Madrid, in collaboration with the Museum of Natural History of Spain and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, has started a breeding captivity program to save the midwife toad and the Iberian frog from the Peñalara Natural Park.
The population of midwife toad crashed in 1997 as a consequence of the chytrid fungus, while the Iberian frog was extirpated from most part of the area by introduced trouts. After several years of management and studies, most introduced fish have been removed, and the chytrid fungus levels are apparently lower.
The new facilities include three rooms where tadpoles, metamorphs and crickets (used as alive food) are housed under temperature, humidity and light controlled conditions. Thirty-eight tanks of 80 l each are used to keep isolated tadpoles from different metapopulations for approximately one year, and 90 small boxes are used to keep metamorphs growing until they are released in the field. Egg clutches and small tadpoles of Iberian frogs are captured in the field and grow in the breeding facilities to increase their probability of survival. Captivity-born midwife toads will be produced from the last few adults which survive the disease. Animals to be released in the field will be treated with itraconazole and/or high temperatures at the end of the metamorphosis, to prevent them from dying during that critical period.

New Bd ecology paper

2008-01-31T04:44:00.000-08:00

A new paper from Bosch & Rincon, on the first evidence of an indirect effect of chytridiomycosis in the field, is in press in Diversity and Distributions. We have documented how the disease may indirectly influence community structure by altering biotic interactions in which affected species participate. In Peñalara Natural Park (Central Spain), the common toad (Bufo bufo) has significantly increased its number of breeding sites after chytridiomycosis nearly extirpated the midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans). An experiment demonstrated that breeding B. bufo adults strongly avoided laying eggs in water containing A. obstetricans tadpoles, accounting for observed patterns of pond use. Bufo bufo is far less severely affected by Bd, spends less time in the water and has higher fecundity than A. obstetricans. So, inter-specific differences in the severity of the effects of the pathogen may modify their biotic interaction indirectly favouring one of them.
We think this kind of indirect effect may be a relatively frequent consequence of chytridiomycosis, and further attention must be paid to this to fully understand the deep effects of the disease on amphibian communities.

Welcome to EDGE-Amphibians!

2008-01-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has launched a major conservation program that is focused on drawing attention to the plight of amphibians. EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) has at its core the aim of identifying the planets most endangered species based on phylogenetic, as well as more conventional, conservation criteria. EDGE species are in cases the last surviving members of groups that have had long evolutionary histories, yet they 'are unfamiliar to both conservationists and the public, and are frequently overlooked by current conservation initiatives'. EDGE Amphibians has identified a list of Top 100 endangered species, for which extinction would represent a disproportionate loss of the worlds amphibian biodiversity. And, surprise surprise, a number of these species are at risk from chytridiomycosis. Infection by Bd is implicitly recognised in the EDGE site as a major driver of declines, and EDGE provide information on the major amphibian diseases in the Conservation section of their website. Well done EDGE and good luck!

Following is a short movie where The EDGE's own Helen Meredith explains more about EDGE Amphibians.

Happy New Year in the Year of the Frog

2008-01-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2008, the year the Amphibian Ark has tasked to be the Year of the Frog (Click here to visit site ) in an effort to raise awareness of the AArk’s lead role in coordinating public awareness and global captive breeding programmes for species at greatest risk of extinction. Of course, many of those species are at risk due to chytridiomycosis, not least of which is the Mt Chicken frog, Leptodactylus fallax, a species nearly eradicated from Dominica by the emergence of Bd. The frog is found also on Montserrat, where the species range was severely impacted by volcanic activity in the 90s, but where Bd appears not to have yet reached (see Garcia et al. 2007 Oryx 41(3):398-401). On Dominica, chytridiomycosis was first reported in L. fallax in December of 2002 and in less than 1.5 years Dominican Mt. Chicken frogs declined by an estimated 70% (Malhotra et al. 2007 Applied Herpetology 4:177-194), with current estimates at 8,000 individuals: the IUCN currently lists the species as Critically Endangered. The Zoological Society of London has established a small captive population for the purposes of captive breeding (Click here to read article) and the herpetology staff of ZSL London Zoo is currently battling Bd infection in this population with Itraconazole. Results so far are extremely encouraging: previously diseased males appear healthy, test negative for infection and are starting to exhibit secondary sexual characteristics.

Animal Conservation published in the last issue of 2007 a featured paper by Doug Woodhams and coauthors (Woodhams et al 2007 Animal Conservation 10:409-417), along with commentaries and a reply by the authors of the original paper. The featured paper describes the latest in a series of papers examining the relationship between amphibian species, the production of antimicrobial peptides and susceptibility to chytridiomycosis. Another recent publication by Seimon and co (Seimon et al 2007 Global Change Biology 13:288-299) provides evidence that dispersing amphibians bring Bd along with them. Furthermore, the dispersers are taking advantage of recently available habitat made available through climate change.

2008 Year of the Frog is here!

2008-01-08T04:37:00.001-08:00

This year is going to be a busy one, and a major global focus is going to be raising awareness of the causes and effects of the amphibian extinction crisis. The Patron of AArk, Sir David Attenborough, has kicked off the year with an impassioned plea; "Today, amphibians can be found in enormous variety and occupy a wide range of water and land habitats, except for the oceans and the frozen polar regions. They are so familiar to most people that they have become part of the myths, legends, and folk tales of many cultures. Yet their habitats are being destroyed at such a speed that now many species may disappear before we even discover that they exist. Infections of chytrid fungus, for which there is no known cure, are today spreading rapidly and threatening entire species. There is thus the real possibility that much of an entire category of animals may become extinct unless we prepare to act quickly." [link] I feel that this is a good rallying call, and despite the gloom there is much to be positive about. That AArk is occurring at all is testament to the commitment of the conservation and scientific community to address the problems facing amphibians. Lets belive that 2008 will be the year that Science and Policy weld together to address the amphibian crisis. Stay tuned to this blog for further news, synthesis, treatment protocols and the launch of the Global Bd Mapping Project.

New Bd epidemiology paper

2007-11-15T04:31:00.000-08:00

Mitchell et al. have a paper in press in Proc R Soc B. on a mathematical model which assesses the impact of long lived zoospores and/or saphrophytic reproduction of Bd on amphibian host dynamics. Following the findings of Di Rosa et al. of a potential resting stage of Bd, we thought that it would be interesting to determine the effect of zoospore longevity on the probability of the host going extinct in a single host system. We paramaterised the model using experimentally- and field-determined measurements; we have found that the occurrence of a long-lived environmental stage can explain how Bd reduces amphibian populations to very low levels, and in some cases can cause local extinction of the host locally. Preprints of this paper are available from Mat Fisher.

Merging mapping services

2007-11-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

Following the 'mapping session' at the conference, Dede Olson agreed to join forces and port the current dataset to the bd site. Negative data points will be included allowing the spread of infection to be monitored. Private databases have been requested by a number of users. Final datafields are being decided and an announcement will be made shortly. Reports will be added to this BLOG to show progression as well as the surveillance pages.

Thanks everyone for making the conference so welcoming.

David

Chytridiomycosis conference

2007-10-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Bd database will have its first public showing during a demonstration at the PARC Amphibian Decline and Chytridiomycosis Conference in Tempe, Arizona on Tuesday 6th November.
See Conference website.