Review
Veterinary Sciences
Zhongle Li, Qi Wang, Keping Sun, Jiang Feng
Summary: Chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) poses a consistent threat to amphibians worldwide from 2000 to 2021, with different prevalence rates influenced by factors such as region, disease dynamic, detection method, host, and climate. Bd prevalence was highest in Oceania and Venezuela, while Asia had the lowest rate. It is recommended to formulate corresponding control plans based on different habitats and geographical conditions to reduce the severity of such diseases.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Kendra L. Ritchie, Vance T. Vredenburg, Shruti Chaukulkar, Helen M. Butler, Andrew G. Zink
Summary: The study shows that social behavior in California slender salamanders increases the risk of acquiring fungal pathogens, especially in larger social groups, although this does not lead to a faster death rate or higher pathogen infection loads.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Edward Davis Carter, Molly C. Bletz, Mitchell Le Sage, Brandon LaBumbard, Louise A. Rollins-Smith, Douglas C. Woodhams, Debra L. Miller, Matthew J. Gray
Summary: The new skin-eating fungus Bsal, believed to be from Asia, poses a threat to salamanders in Europe due to international trade of amphibians. In North America, the risk of Bsal invasion into eastern newt populations is highest in the northeastern USA, southeastern Canada, and the Appalachian Mountains, influenced by environmental temperature. Temperature plays a key role in the pathogenicity of Bsal, impacting host immune defenses and influencing strategies for disease management.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Claudio Azat
Summary: Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) pose a threat to biodiversity and human health, with genetic variability of pathogens causing different impacts at the population level. Global spread of pathogens is facilitated by globalization of transport, such as air travel rapidly spreading pathogens like SARS-CoV-2. Understanding the genetic diversity of pathogens is crucial in developing timely mitigation strategies.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kristyn A. Robinson, Sarah M. Prostak, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin
Summary: The frog-killing chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is rapidly triggered into its reproductive state when exposed to amphibian mucus, a process that does not require gene expression but relies on surface adhesion, calcium signaling, and modulation of the actin cytoskeleton.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. Delia Basanta, Victor Avila-Akerberg, Allison Q. Byrne, Gabriela Castellanos-Morales, Tanya M. Gonzalez Martinez, Yurixhi Maldonado-Lopez, Erica Bree Rosenblum, Ireri Suazo-Ortuno, Gabriela Parra Olea, Eria A. Rebollar
Summary: The recent emergence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) has caused rapid population declines of salamanders in Europe, and its potential arrival in new areas could have negative effects on amphibian populations and species. This study analyzed the presence of Bsal in various regions and amphibian species in Mexico, the second most diverse country in salamander species. The results showed no evidence of Bsal presence in the sampled sites, highlighting the importance of continued surveillance and control strategies to prevent its introduction and spread in Mexico.
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
Ecology
Donald T. McKnight, Roger Huerlimann, Deborah S. Bower, Lin Schwarzkopf, Ross A. Alford, Kyall R. Zenger
Summary: The bacterial and fungal microbiomes of four Australian frog species were examined to understand their role in infection dynamics. Both microbial communities were correlated, suggesting mutual influences. There was mixed evidence of associations between richness and the fungal disease, with high richness potentially providing protection.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Janos Ujszegi, Reka Bertalan, Nikolett Ujhegyi, Viktoria Verebelyi, Edina Nemeshazi, Zsanett Miko, Andrea Kasler, David Herczeg, Mark Szederkenyi, Nora Vili, Zoltan Gal, Orsolya I. Hoffmann, Veronika Bokony, Attila Hettyey
Summary: Heat waves can have devastating effects on amphibians, including increased mortality, delayed metamorphosis, decreased body mass, and sex reversal. The severity of these consequences can vary depending on the species and the timing and intensity of heat exposure. However, thermal treatments have no adverse effects on the body mass of juvenile amphibians.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandra E. Laking, Zhimin Li, Evy Goossens, Marta Minarro, Wouter Beukema, Luc Lens, Dries Bonte, Kris Verheyen, Frank Pasmans, An Martel
Summary: The loss of salamanders due to disease has been found to impact the dynamics of forest leaf litter, leading to a reduction in the decomposition rate of oak litter and changes in the functional composition of invertebrate communities. This study highlights the role of salamanders in influencing ecosystem functions through trophic cascades.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biology
Samantha A. Siomko, Sasha E. Greenspan, K. M. Barnett, Wesley J. Neely, Stanislava Chtarbanova, Douglas C. Woodhams, Taegan A. McMahon, C. Guilherme Becker
Summary: With the increasing number of emerging diseases, it is crucial to identify and understand novel mechanisms of prophylactic protection in vertebrate hosts. This study investigates the effects of prophylaxis on host microbiome composition in the context of amphibian chytridiomycosis. The findings suggest that prophylaxis can induce shifts in host-associated bacterial taxa, leading to enhanced protection against the fungal pathogen.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Louise A. Rollins-Smith, Laura K. Reinert, Mitchell Le Sage, Kaitlyn N. Linney, Bria M. Gillard, Thomas P. Umile, Kevin P. C. Minbiole
Summary: Two pathogenic chytrid fungi, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, have evolved similar mechanisms to inhibit lymphocytes and evade the immune system of amphibians, contributing to the long-term decline of amphibian populations worldwide.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
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
Biology
Andrew P. Rothstein, Allison Q. Byrne, Roland A. Knapp, Cheryl J. Briggs, Jamie Voyles, Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki, Erica Bree Rosenblum
Summary: Emerging infectious diseases pose a pressing threat to global biological diversity, necessitating methodological advances in genetic epidemiology to understand pathogen emergence and spread. The study challenges the assumption that similar epizootic signatures in different regions have the same evolutionary histories, highlighting the importance of integrating observed wildlife die-offs with genetic data for accurate reconstruction of pathogen outbreaks.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
