Evidence for the Introduction of Lethal Chytridiomycosis Affecting Wild Betic Midwife Toads

A new paper by RACE team members (led by Jaime Bosch) to be published in the journal EcoHealth provides evidence that Bd is an introduced pathogen: "Our data support the hypothesis that B. dendrobatidis has recently emerged in at least two disjunct locations in the species range and populations across much of the species range lack evidence of infection". Here is the link to the abstract.

American Bullfrog Is Spreading Chytrid Through Commercial Trade

A team of scientists led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), revealed in a new study, for the first time, the presence of the pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in amphibians sampled in Singapore. And the American bullfrog may be a central player in the spread of the disease. Check out the full story.

Wildlife disease spread by trade - a growing threat to amphibians

According to IUCN, there's a link between trade of amphibians and the spread of pathogens. Read the full text here.

Mapping the presence of Bd worldwide

The global Bd-Mapping paper is now online in PLoS One. Please submit your data!

Bd in Italy

RACE team members co-authored a new paper on Bd in Italy: "The pandemic pathogen of amphibians, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Phylum Chytridiomycota), in Italy."

RACE Stakeholder Meeting in Brussels

STAKEHOLDER MEETING

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VENUE

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres e.V.
Brussels Office; Rue du Trône 98 (sixth floor)
1050 Brussels, BELGIUM

DATE

26 February 2013
If you are interested, please contact Mark Auliya To: mark.auliya@ufz.de
Subject: RACE – Stakeholder Meeting
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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGES)

9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Morning: oral presentations (10-15 min) on topics around the chytrid fungus:
* genetics * understanding its epidemiology * the problem with exotic amphibians and pathogens * * what can we do to mitigate this disease * policy implications *
Noon: Lunch discussion
Afternoon: Round-table discussion
Find more information in our brochure

Opinion piece of David Wake

In the last 2 decades, field biologists discovered nearly 3,000 new species of amphibians. At the end of July 2012, the total number of amphibian species hit 7,000 with the addition of a high elevation glassfrog (Centrolene sabini) from Manu National Park in Amazonian Peru. At the same time, however, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has identified amphibians as the major taxon at the greatest risk of extinction, with 41 percent of amphibian species at risk as of June 2012, and anywhere from 125 to 500 species already extinct. The full article here