Chytrid fungus acts as a generalist pathogen infecting species-rich amphibian families in Brazilian rainforests

Author(s)

Valencia-Aguilar, Anyelet ^[1] ; Ruano-Fajardo, Gustavo ^[1] ; Lambertini, Carolina ^[2] ; Leite, Domingos da Silva ^[3] ; Toledo, Luis Felipe ^[2] ; Mott, Tami ^[4]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Alagoas, Inst Ciencias Biol & Saude, Programa Posgrad Diversidade Biol & Conservacao N, BR-57052970 Maceio, AL - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, Inst Biol, LaHNAB, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Lab Antigenos Bacterianos, Dept Genet Evolucao & Bioagentes, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Alagoas, Inst Ciencias Biol & Saude, Setor Biodiversidade, BR-57052970 Maceio, AL - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS; v. 114, n. 1, p. 61-67, MAY 11 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 11

Abstract

The fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is among the main causes of declines in amphibian populations. This fungus is considered a generalist pathogen because it infects several species and spreads rapidly in the wild. To date, Bd has been detected in more than 100 anuran species in Brazil, mostly in the southern portion of the Atlantic forest. Here, we report survey data from some poorly explored regions; these data considerably extend current information on the distribution of Bd in the northern Atlantic forest region. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that Bd is a generalist pathogen in this biome. We also report the first positive record for Bd in an anuran caught in the wild in Amazonia. In total, we screened 90 individuals (from 27 species), of which 39 individuals (from 22 species) were Bd-positive. All samples collected in Bahia (2 individuals), Pernambuco (3 individuals), Para (1 individual), and Minas Gerais (1 individual) showed positive results for Bd. We found a positive correlation between anuran richness per family and the number of infected species in the Atlantic forest, supporting previous observations that Bd lacks strong host specificity; of 38% of the anuran species in the Atlantic forest that were tested for Bd infection, 25% showed positive results. The results of our study exemplify the pandemic and widespread nature of Bd infection in amphibians. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/04160-0 - Local phenotypic variation in the amphibian-killing fungus predicts infection dynamics
• Grantee: Carolina Lambertini
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 11/51694-7 - Into the heart of an epidemic: a US-Brazil collaboration for integrative studies of the amphibian-killing fungus in Brazil
• Grantee: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants