EcoWorldly

Scientists and veterinarians met in San Diego, in February 2009, to protect amphibian species threatened with extinction by the chytrid fungus. Chytrid is already associated with declines in amphibian populations in Central America and Australia and is spreading quickly in the wild.

The photograph is of the critically endangered Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zetecki) which communicates by waving its hands because, unlike other frogs, it has no eardrums.

Chytridiomycosis (cytrid) is an infectious disease of amphibians, caused by the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a non-hyphal zoosporic fungus. The skin of infected frogs thickens and interferes with its ability to absorb water and electrolytes. Frogs in the wild which are already in danger of extinction from habitat loss, the pet trade, and climate change now face this additional threat.

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According to Zoo Atlanta’s curator of herpetology, Joseph R. Mendelson, dozens of frog species have already vanished because of chytrid. In environments where the fungus thrives, it can kill 80 percent of the native amphibians within months. In fact in the wild, chytrid is practically unstoppable and untreatable.

The strategy taken to protect these at risk frogs is to establish survival assurance colonies in zoos throughout the world and to carefully manage these frogs.

Chytrid is a sporadic problem in US zoo collections and a complexity of release programmes, where infected frogs could be released back into the wild. Therefore, the San Diego Zoo and Zoo Atlanta, with financial support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, brought together amphibian specialists from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to write a comprehensive manual to control and combat diseases in these amphibian survival assurance colonies.

The manual includes information on setting up biosecure amphibian facilities, diagnosing and treating chytrid fungus, and screening frogs before their release back in the wild. The manual, which will be provided free of charge, is under editing and should be released in the third quarter of 2009. The San Diego Zoo is also offers the nation’s zoos and aquariums low-cost testing for amphibian diseases under the project.

Photo Credit: by Jeff Kubina in Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

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