Reservoir frogs: seasonality of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in robber frogs in Dominica and Montserrat

PeerJ

article

Michael A. Hudson¹  Richard A. Griffiths³  Lloyd Martin⁴  Calvin Fenton⁴  Sarah-Louise Adams²  Alex Blackman¹  Machel Sulton⁵  Matthew W. Perkins¹  Javier Lopez⁶  Gerardo Garcia⁶  Benjamin Tapley¹  Richard P. Young²  Andrew A. Cunningham¹ 

[1] Zoological Society of London;Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust;Durrell Insitute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent;Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture;Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Environment, Climate Resilience, Disaster Management and Urban Renewal;Chester Zoo

关键词: Chytridiomycosis;    Wildlife disease;    Amphibians;    Pathogen reservoirs;    Disease dynamics;    Conservation;    Caribbean herpetology;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.7021

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Emerging infectious diseases are an increasingly important threat to wildlife conservation, with amphibian chytridiomycosis, caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the disease most commonly associated with species declines and extinctions. However, some amphibians can be infected with B. dendrobatidis in the absence of disease and can act as reservoirs of the pathogen. We surveyed robber frogs (Eleutherodactylus spp.), potential B. dendrobatidis reservoir species, at three sites on Montserrat, 2011–2013, and on Dominica in 2014, to identify seasonal patterns in B. dendrobatidis infection prevalence and load (B. dendrobatidis genomic equivalents). On Montserrat there was significant seasonality in B. dendrobatidis prevalence and B. dendrobatidis load, both of which were correlated with temperature but not rainfall. B. dendrobatidis prevalence reached 35% in the cooler, drier months but was repeatedly undetectable during the warmer, wetter months. Also, B. dendrobatidis prevalence significantly decreased from 53.2% when the pathogen emerged on Montserrat in 2009 to a maximum 34.8% by 2011, after which it remained stable. On Dominica, where B. dendrobatidis emerged seven years prior to Montserrat, the same seasonal pattern was recorded but at lower prevalence, possibly indicating long-term decline. Understanding the dynamics of disease threats such as chytridiomycosis is key to planning conservation measures. For example, reintroductions of chytridiomycosis-threatened species could be timed to coincide with periods of low B. dendrobatidis infection risk, increasing potential for reintroduction success.

【 授权许可】

CC BY