Emerging disease of amphibians cured by elevatedbody temperature

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

Douglas C. Woodhams¹  Ross A. Alford¹  Gerry Marantelli¹ 

关键词: Chytrid;    Chytridiomycosis;    Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis;    Fungus;    Amphibian;    Cure;    Temperature;   

DOI  :  10.3354/dao055065

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: The emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis is thought to have contributed to many of the recent alarming declines in amphibian populations. Mortalities associated with these declines have often occurred during cooler seasons and at highelevations, suggesting that environmental temperature may be an important factor in disease emergence. We found that thermal environment affects the progress of the disease, and that housing frogs Litoria chloris at an environmental temperature of37°C for less than 16 h can clear them of the chytrid pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Our experiment demonstrated that elevated body temperatures similar to those experienced in behavioral fever and during normal thermoregulation can clearfrogs of chytrid infection; therefore, variation in thermoregulatory opportunities and behaviors are likely to contribute to the differences in disease incidence observed among host species, populations, and regions. Although further refinement of thetechnique is needed to encompass various host species, appropriately applied thermal manipulations of amphibians and their enclosures may prove to be a safe and effective way of eliminating the fungal pathogen from captive amphibian populations andpreventing accidental spread of the pathogen when animals are translocated or released from captivity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown