A fungus that kills frogs and amphibians is spreading rapidly in Africa

A deadly fungus that feeds on the skin of frogs and other amphibians is spreading rapidly in Africa. Batracochytrium Dendrobatidis – Bd For short – It has surged across the continent over the past two decades, raising concerns that amphibian populations in Africa, like elsewhere in the world, may be depleted.

BDs It causes and has been blamed for a disease called chytridiomycosis that leads to heart failure in amphibians. Dramatic population decline in the Americas and Australia“We are talking about hundreds of species that have been driven to extinction or near extinction by a single pathogen,” he said. Vance Fredenberg at San Francisco State University, California.

researchers think BDs Originated in AsiaBy the late 1900s, they had reached every continent except Antarctica. However, its impact in Africa remains relatively unexplored. Previous research suggests that it has been present on the continent since the 1930s, albeit at low levels. Some studies suggest a recent increase in infection rates, but that may just be the artifact researchers are looking for. BDs now than in the past.

To learn more, Vredenburg and colleagues turned to the museum’s amphibian collection. Fungi and other parasites are often preserved with the animals that live them, allowing researchers to study the history of infectious diseases using museum specimens.

The team collected skin swabs from about 3000 specimens collected in Africa over the past 100 years. They also tested the skin of 1651 live amphibians found in the wild and collected thousands of additional records from other studies of specimens collected between 1852 and 2017.

Combining all this information, they discovered: BDs During the 1900s, it was unremarkable in Africa, consistently appearing in less than 5% of animals examined. However, there was a change at the turn of the 20th century, with prevalence rising to around 20% across the continent in the early 2000s.

It is not clear what caused the increase, but one possible reason is Trade and the accompanying movement of people and goods Spread BDs Vredenburg says it will push into new areas, as has happened before in other parts of the world.

The team says it has collected an “amazing amount of new data” to complement existing research. Breda Zimkus At the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology in Massachusetts.She said many of the areas showing an increase were BDs Amphibian populations are also experiencing declines – researchers suggest it’s no coincidence.

For example, in Cameroon, team data showed that BDs The prevalence reached nearly 40% in the 2010s, and numbers of once-common amphibians, such as the puddle frog and the long-fingered frog, are rapidly declining.

The researchers also used the trends they found with existing data. BDsTo predict where the fungus will go next, the favorable climate and host of . Parts of West Africa, which previously had no reports of chytrid fungus, may be particularly at risk, they said.

Diana Olson We are pleased to see this type of risk assessment being applied at the USDA Forest Service. BDs in africa. “These are tools that managers can use to identify the most critical areas that may be needed for conservation planning … to prevent further catastrophe for vulnerable species.”

Vredenburg said he hopes the find will spur further research on African amphibians. These animals are “understudied,” he says. “There should be a lot that we can do [to help them] If you have more information. “

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