Distribution of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and pathology in the skin of green tree frogs Litoria caerulea with severe chytridiomycosis
TLDR
The number of sporangia was highly variable and this appeared to be related to the stage in the cycle of sloughing, and other pathological changes such as hyperkeratosis and congestion occurred much more frequently on ventral surfaces.Abstract:
Although histopathology is used routinely for diagnosis of chytridiomycosis in live and dead amphibians, there are no quantitative data on the distribution of the causative fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in the skin. We performed quantitative histological examinations on 6 sites on the body and 4 toes of 10 free-ranging adult green tree frogs Litoria caerulea found recently dead or dying from chytridiomycosis. Large numbers of sporangia occurred in all areas of ventral skin and toes; on average there were 94.3 sporangia mm(-1) of superficial epidermis. The number of sporangia was highly variable and this appeared to be related to the stage in the cycle of sloughing. The stratum corneum tends to build up with high intensities of infection and then sheds entirely rather than being shed continuously. Very few or no sporangia occurred on dorsal skin. This distribution could be explained by the dryness of the dorsal skin or possibly by the greater number of serous glands, which produce antifungal peptides, on the dorsum. In some frogs, ulceration and erosions occurred on skin on the back in the absence of sporangia. Other pathological changes such as hyperkeratosis and congestion occurred much more frequently on ventral surfaces.read more
Citations
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Diagnostic assays and sampling protocols for the detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Alex D. Hyatt,Donna G. Boyle,V. Olsen,David B. Boyle,Lee Berger,D. Obendorf,A. Dalton,Kerry Matthew Kriger,M. Hero,Harry B. Hines,R. Phillott,R. Campbell,Gerry Marantelli,Frank H. Gleason,A. Colling +14 more
TL;DR: It is suggested that compliance with the recommended protocols will avoid the generation of spurious results, thereby providing the international scientific and regulatory community with a set of validated procedures which will assist in the successful management of chytridiomycosis in the future.
Journal ArticleDOI
Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity
Ben C. Scheele,Ben C. Scheele,Frank Pasmans,Lee F. Skerratt,Lee Berger,An Martel,Wouter Beukema,Aldemar A. Acevedo,Aldemar A. Acevedo,Patricia A. Burrowes,Tamilie Carvalho,Alessandro Catenazzi,Ignacio De la Riva,Matthew C. Fisher,Sandra V. Flechas,Sandra V. Flechas,Claire N. Foster,Patricia Frías-Alvarez,Trenton W. J. Garner,Trenton W. J. Garner,Brian Gratwicke,Juan M. Guayasamin,Juan M. Guayasamin,Mareike Hirschfeld,Jonathan E. Kolby,Tiffany A. Kosch,Tiffany A. Kosch,Enrique La Marca,David B. Lindenmayer,Karen R. Lips,Ana V. Longo,Raúl Maneyro,Cait A. McDonald,Joseph R. Mendelson,Pablo Palacios-Rodríguez,Gabriela Parra-Olea,Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki,Mark-Oliver Rödel,Sean M. Rovito,Claudio Soto-Azat,Luís Felipe Toledo,Jamie Voyles,Ché Weldon,Steven M. Whitfield,Steven M. Whitfield,Mark Wilkinson,Kelly R. Zamudio,Stefano Canessa +47 more
TL;DR: A global, quantitative assessment of the amphibian chytridiomycosis panzootic demonstrates its role in the decline of at least 501 amphibian species over the past half-century and represents the greatest recorded loss of biodiversity attributable to a disease.
Journal ArticleDOI
Pathogenesis of chytridiomycosis, a cause of catastrophic amphibian declines.
Jamie Voyles,Samantha Young,Lee Berger,Craig Campbell,Wyatt F. Voyles,Anuwat Dinudom,David I. Cook,Rebecca J. Webb,Ross A. Alford,Lee F. Skerratt,Richard Speare +10 more
TL;DR: It is shown that Bd infection is associated with pathophysiological changes that lead to mortality in green tree frogs (Litoria caerulea), and in diseased individuals, electrolyte transport across the epidermis was inhibited by >50, plasma sodium and potassium concentrations were respectively reduced by ~20% and ~50%, and asystolic cardiac arrest resulted in death.
Journal ArticleDOI
Enzootic and epizootic dynamics of the chytrid fungal pathogen of amphibians
TL;DR: Results suggest that host persistence versus extinction does not require differences in host susceptibility, pathogen virulence, or environmental conditions, and may be just epidemic and endemic population dynamics of the same host–pathogen system.
Journal ArticleDOI
Resistance to chytridiomycosis varies among amphibian species and is correlated with skin peptide defenses
Douglas C. Woodhams,Douglas C. Woodhams,Katie Ardipradja,Ross A. Alford,Gerry Marantelli,Laura K. Reinert,Louise A. Rollins-Smith +6 more
TL;DR: Differences in susceptibility to chytridiomycosis among four Australian species after experimental infection with B. dendrobatidis are demonstrated, and it is observed that circulating granulocyte, but not lymphocyte, counts differed between infected and uninfected Lit.
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Journal ArticleDOI
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Journal ArticleDOI
Activity of antimicrobial skin peptides from ranid frogs against Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the chytrid fungus associated with global amphibian declines
Louise A. Rollins-Smith,Cynthia Carey,Joyce E. Longcore,Jennifer K. Doersam,Angela M. Boutté,Judsen E Bruzgal,J. Michael Conlon +6 more
TL;DR: It is shown that 10 peptides representing eight families of peptides derived from North American ranid frogs can effectively inhibit growth of this chytrid fungus, suggesting that the ranidfrogs have, within their repertoire of antimicrobial substances, a number of skin peptides that should be a deterrent to chyTrid infection.