Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection dynamics vary seasonally in upstate New York, USA.
نویسندگان
چکیده
The amphibian disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a major cause of worldwide amphibian declines and extinctions. Although several studies indicate that Bd prevalence and infection intensity vary seasonally, temporal variation of Bd at high-latitude sites, such as the northeastern USA, is still poorly characterized. We screened amphibians for Bd monthly at 2 study sites in New York State from April to October 2011 and used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to detect and quantify temporal variability in Bd infection prevalence and intensity. We found pronounced seasonal variation in both Bd infection prevalence and intensity at the community level, and our data indicate that this pattern is due to a few species (Lithobates catesbeianus, L. clamitans, and Notophthalmus viridescens) that drive temporal variability in disease dynamics. Amphibian body mass and sex were significant predictors of infection intensity but not infection prevalence. Understanding the temporal dynamics of Bd host-pathogen interactions provides important insight into regional, seasonal, and host-specific determinants of disease outbreaks. Further, our study elucidates the most relevant and informative timing for Bd surveys in temperate amphibian assemblages. Seasonal variation of infection dynamics suggests that Bd surveys from different sampling time points are not comparable, and summer surveys to evaluate chytridiomycosis may significantly underestimate Bd prevalence and intensity, leading to false conclusions about the severity of chytridiomycosis-induced amphibian mortality and population decline.
منابع مشابه
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in natural and farmed Louisiana crayfish populations: prevalence and implications.
The pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been linked to global declines and extinctions of amphibians, making it one of the most devastating wildlife pathogens known. Understanding the factors that affect disease dynamics in this system is critical for mitigating infection and protecting threatened species. Crayfish are hosts of this pathogen and can transmit Bd to ...
متن کاملBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection dynamics in the Columbia spotted frog Rana luteiventris in north Idaho, USA.
The pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is contributing to amphibian declines worldwide. Temperature plays an important role in both pathogen growth and host immune function, but little is known about seasonal dynamics of Bd infection in north temperate regions. Our objective was to increase understanding of Bd disease ecology by investigating patterns of Bd infection ...
متن کاملThe North American bullfrog as a reservoir for the spread of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Brazil
1 Wildlife Trust, New York, NY, USA 2 School of Life Sciences, Kingston University, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, UK 3 Fishery Institute, São Paulo, Brazil 4 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, MI, USA 5 Biological Institute, São Paulo, Brazil 6 School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA 7 CSIRO Livestock Industries, Australian Animal ...
متن کاملUse of Foley Catheter Instead of Digital Rectal Examination for Detection of Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Infants and Children
A digital rectal examination is a highly important procedure carried out on infants and children during visits to the gastroenterology clinic, but is often accompanied with physiologic and psychologic trauma in patients, along with being diagnostically inaccurate in the results obtained from it. In order to avoid causing discomfort to the patients, and to improve the accuracy of the results obt...
متن کاملBody length of Hylodes cf. ornatus and Lithobates catesbeianus tadpoles, depigmentation of mouthparts, and presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis are related.
A fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which can cause morbidity and death of anurans, has affected amphibian populations on a worldwide basis. Availability of pure cultures of Bd isolates is essential for experimental studies to understand the ecology of this pathogen. We evaluated the relationships of body length of Hylodes cf. ornatus and Lithobates catesbeianus tadpoles to d...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Diseases of aquatic organisms
دوره 111 1 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2014