Article
Microbiology
Daniel Medina, Sasha E. Greenspan, Tamilie Carvalho, C. Guilherme Becker, Luis Felipe Toledo
Summary: The study found that two strains of Bd have different impacts on amphibian skin bacteria, and mixed infections have an additive effect on bacterial diversity. Changes in experimental conditions resulted in a significant reduction in bacterial diversity and alteration in community structure.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pria N. Ghosh, Ruhan Verster, Thomas R. Sewell, Simon J. O'Hanlon, Lola M. Brookes, Adrien Rieux, Trenton W. J. Garner, Che Weldon, Matthew C. Fisher
Summary: The study presents a molecular diagnostic method that can differentiate between the two main lineages of Bd, and demonstrates its application in monitoring wild amphibian populations in Southern Africa.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
K. A. Bates, J. Friesen, A. Loyau, H. Butler, V. T. Vredenburg, J. Laufer, A. Chatzinotas, D. S. Schmeller
Summary: The study investigated how the skin microbiome of wild Dhofar toads in Oman is influenced by host environment, pathogen presence, and host biology. The results showed that skin microbiome diversity is mainly influenced by host life stage, water source, and habitat disturbance. The network analysis revealed high site specificity in bacterial co-occurrence patterns.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Linda J. Paetow, Roger I. Cue, Bruce D. Pauli, David J. Marcogliese
Summary: Pesticides and pathogens have negative effects on amphibians, and their combined effects are not well understood. This study examined the individual and combined effects of two herbicides and a fungal pathogen on the growth, development, and survival of American toad larvae. The results showed that high concentrations of glyphosate caused 100% mortality, while lower doses had a monotonic effect on growth. The herbicides did not interact with the fungal pathogen on survival, but exposure to the pathogen increased survival. Atrazine had long-term effects on growth, while glyphosate's effects disappeared. Overall, both herbicides and the fungal pathogen can modulate larval toad growth and development.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Koichi Goka, Jun Yokoyama, Atsushi Tominaga
Summary: Research on the frog chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has made little progress in Japan since around 2010, but it was pointed out in 2009 that the origin of Bd may be in the East Asian region, including Japan. Many native amphibian species in Japan show resistance to Bd infection.
Article
Ecology
Wesley J. Neely, Sasha E. Greenspan, Leigha M. Stahl, Sam D. Heraghty, Vanessa M. Marshall, Carla L. Atkinson, C. Guilherme Becker
Summary: This study examined the effects of habitat disturbance on environmental bacterial reservoirs, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infection, and skin microbiome composition in wild populations of Acris crepitans and Lithobates catesbeianus. Results showed that higher disturbance levels led to increased microbiome dispersion and limited microbiome similarity between locations, suggesting greater isolation of bacterial assemblages in more disturbed areas. Additionally, higher disturbance was associated with lower Bd prevalence for A. crepitans, indicating potential suboptimal microclimates for the pathogen in disturbed habitats.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zachary Gajewski, Leah R. Johnson, Daniel Medina, William W. Crainer, Christopher M. Nagy, Lisa K. Belden
Summary: Skin microbial communities are important for host health and can play a role in disease mitigation. Factors like host species, infection status, developmental stage, and habitat can shape these communities. Understanding these factors is crucial for understanding disease dynamics.
Article
Ecology
Bisbrian Nava-Gonzalez, Ireri Suazo-Ortuno, Perla Bibian Lopez, Yurixhi Maldonado-Lopez, Leonel Lopez-Toledo, Luciana Raggi, Gabriela Parra-Olea, Javier Alvarado-Diaz, Bruno Gomez-Gil
Summary: Skin-associated bacteria have been found to inhibit infection by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in amphibians, and are related to Bd infection intensity. However, the microbial dynamics regulating Bd intensity are still not fully understood. Analysis of Bd infection and skin-associated bacteria from two co-occurring amphibian species in central Mexico revealed a negative relationship between bacterial richness and relative abundance of inhibitory Bd bacteria with Bd infection intensity, despite high prevalence of Bd in the host species. No dead or sick individuals were found during field surveys, suggesting that the individuals were able to survive and thrive with enzootic infections of Bd and their microbiota.
Article
Microbiology
Kieran A. Bates, Ulf Sommer, Kevin P. Hopkins, Jennifer M. G. Shelton, Claudia Wierzbicki, Christopher Sergeant, Benjamin Tapley, Christopher J. Michaels, Dirk S. Schmeller, Adeline Loyau, Jaime Bosch, Mark R. Viant, Xavier A. Harrison, Trenton W. J. Garner, Matthew C. Fisher
Summary: The skin microbial community structure of amphibians is linked to the clinical outcome of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (8d) infections. This study used multi-omics analyses in laboratory and field settings to demonstrate that 8d infection alters microbiome taxonomic and functional profiles.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Joelma S. Prado, Julia R. Ernetti, Mariana Retuci Pontes, L. Felipe Toledo
Summary: This research provides evidence that fog water may serve as a pathway for the transmission of the amphibian-killing fungus Bd. The study shows the passive transport of live Bd zoospores through artificial fog can infect susceptible hosts and lead to lethal chytridiomycosis. These findings are important for understanding the exposure mechanisms of direct-developing amphibians to aquatic pathogens and can aid in the development of control measures.
Article
Ecology
Carmen C. Harjoe, Julia C. Buck, Jason R. Rohr, Claire E. Roberts, Deanna H. Olson, Andrew R. Blaustein
Summary: The pathogen Bd, implicated in amphibian declines, can affect communities and ecosystem function through direct and indirect effects. Infection with Bd reduced amphibian larval densities and resulted in trait-mediated effects on periphyton biomass, with damage to larval mouthparts reducing their feeding rates, and thus benefiting periphyton. However, there was no evidence that Bd triggered a shift to filter-feeding phytoplankton. The presence of Bd was associated with increased copepod abundance, indicating zooplankton consumption of chytrid zoospores.
Article
Physiology
Alex Callen, Ligia Pizzatto, Michelle P. Stockwell, Simon Clulow, John Clulow, Michael J. Mahony
Summary: The novel fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a major threat to amphibians worldwide. Increasing water salinity may limit the transmission of the pathogen between frogs, but the effects on tadpole development are variable. This study found that within a certain range of salinity, increasing salt concentrations did not negatively affect the survival and metamorphosis time of Litoria aurea tadpoles, and even had positive effects on their life history traits.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY B-BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Mae Cowgill, Andrew G. Zink, Wesley Sparagon, Tiffany A. Yap, Hasan Sulaeman, Michelle S. Koo, Vance T. Vredenburg
Summary: The study revealed the fluctuation of Bd infection rates in two co-occurring terrestrial salamander species over the past century and their susceptibility to chytridiomycosis. It also found that host-pathogen dynamics are influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Spencer R. Siddons, Catherine L. Searle
Summary: Exposure to the virulent fungal pathogen Bd was found to increase the CTmin for frogs and decrease their righting response, with Hyla versicolor showing a higher CTmin than Lithobates palustris. This reduced cold tolerance in Bd-exposed frogs may lead to increased overwintering mortality.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
K. E. Pereira, S. K. Woodley
Summary: The study found that salamander skin peptide defenses against chytrid pathogens are highly variable and not always equally effective against Bsal and Bd.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2021)