Amphibian Diseases
Amphibians are the most threatened groups of animals on the planet. Diseases (e.g., chytrid fungi, ranavirus, severe perkinsea infections (SPI)) are negatively impacting these species.
Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd) was identified 15 years ago as one of the primary causes of death for many amphibians. However, the ecology and epidemiology of Bd is still being investigated. A second type of chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, Bsal) is emerging in Europe. While Bsal primarily affects salamanders, frogs can also become infected and spread this disease. SPI has been associated with large-scale frog die-offs in at least 10 states.
USGS formed the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) to lead a cooperative national effort that is monitoring amphibians and researching potential causes of decline, including disease.
USGS is proactively responding to the threat of Bsal:
- Coordinated an interorganizational Bsal workshop in June 2015
- Published report on workshop: USGS Open-File Report 2015-1233
- Published a Bsal risk assessment model: Journal Article
- Informed partners through Bsal webinar
- Participates in the interorganizational Bsal Task Force
Related Content
Restored agricultural wetlands in Central Iowa: habitat quality and amphibian response
Prevalence of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, USA
Using occupancy models to understand the distribution of an amphibian pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Widespread occurrence of the chytrid fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on oregon spotted frogs (rana pretiosa)
Prevalence of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in stream and wetland amphibians in Maryland, USA
Widespread occurrence of the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the southeastern USA
Quantitative PCR detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis DNA from sediments and water
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Filter Total Items: 19
Restored agricultural wetlands in Central Iowa: habitat quality and amphibian response
Amphibians are declining throughout the United States and worldwide due, partly, to habitat loss. Conservation practices on the landscape restore wetlands to denitrify tile drainage effluent and restore ecosystem services. Understanding how water quality, hydroperiod, predation, and disease affect amphibians in restored wetlands is central to maintaining healthy amphibian populations in the regionAuthorsRebecca A. Reeves, Clay Pierce, Kelly L. Smalling, Robert W. Klaver, Mark W. Vandever, William A. Battaglin, Erin L. MuthsPrevalence of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, USA
Information on disease presence can be of use to natural resource managers, especially in areas supporting threatened and endangered species that occur coincidentally with species that are suspected vectors for disease. Ad hoc reports may be of limited utility (Muths et al. 2009), but a general sense of pathogen presence (or absence) can inform management directed at T&E species, especially in regAuthorsBrent H. Sigafus, Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Cecil R. SchwalbeUsing occupancy models to understand the distribution of an amphibian pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a fungal pathogen that is receiving attention around the world for its role in amphibian declines. Study of its occurrence patterns is hampered by false negatives: the failure to detect the pathogen when it is present. Occupancy models are a useful but currently underutilized tool for analyzing detection data when the probability of detecting a species is <1. We uAuthorsM. J. Adams, Nathan Chelgren, David M. Reinitz, Rebecca A. Cole, L.J. Rachowicz, Stephanie Galvan, Brome McCreary, Christopher A. Pearl, Larissa L. Bailey, Jamie B. Bettaso, Evelyn L. Bull, Matthias LeuWidespread occurrence of the chytrid fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on oregon spotted frogs (rana pretiosa)
The pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been associated with amphibian declines in multiple continents, including western North America. We investigated Bd prevalence in Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa), a species that has declined across its range in the Pacific Northwest. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of skin swabs indicated that Bd was prevalent within populations (420 of 6AuthorsC.A. Pearl, J. Bowerman, M.J. Adams, N.D. ChelgrenPrevalence of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in stream and wetland amphibians in Maryland, USA
The amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, responsible for the potentially fatal amphibian disease chytridiomycosis, is known to occur in a large and ever increasing number of amphibian populations around the world. However, sampling has been biased towards stream- and wetland-breeding anurans, with little attention paid to stream-associated salamanders. We sampled three frog andAuthorsEvan H. Campbell Grant, Larissa L. Bailey, Joy L. Ware, Karen L. DuncanWidespread occurrence of the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the southeastern USA
From 1999 to 2006, we sampled >1200 amphibians for the fungal pathogen Batrachochytnum dendrobatidis (Bd) at 30 sites in the southeastern USA. Using histological techniques or PCR assays, we detected chytrid infection in 10 species of aquatic-breeding amphibians in 6 states. The prevalence of chytrid infection was 17.8% for samples of postmetamorphic amphibians examined using skin swab-PCR assaysAuthorsB.B. Rothermel, S.C. Walls, J.C. Mitchell, C. K. Dodd, L.K. Irwin, D. E. Green, Victoria M. Vazquez, James W. Petranka, Dirk J. StevensonQuantitative PCR detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis DNA from sediments and water
The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) causes chytridiomycosis, a disease implicated in amphibian declines on 5 continents. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer sets exist with which amphibians can be tested for this disease, and advances in sampling techniques allow non-invasive testing of animals. We developed filtering and PCR based quantitative methods by modifying existingAuthorsJulie D. Kirshtein, Chauncey W. Anderson, J.S. Wood, Joyce E. Longcore, Mary A. Voytek - News