Abstract
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the causative agent of the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis, is an important factor in the global decline of amphibians. Within Europe, animals that exhibit clinical signs of the disease have only been reported in Spain despite the pathogen’s wide, but patchy, distribution on the continent. Recently, another occurrence of chytridiomycosis was reported in Euproctus platycephalus, the Sardinian brook newt, on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, but without any evidence of fatal disease. We report further evidence of the emergence of Bd on Sardinia and the first evidence of lethal chytridiomycosis outside of Spain. Unusual mortalities of the Tyrrhenian painted frog (Discoglossus sardus) were found at three sites in the Limbara mountains of northern Sardinia. Molecular and histological screens of corpses, frogs, and tadpoles from these sites revealed infection with Bd. Infection and mortality occurred at locations that are unusual in terms of the published habitat requirements of the pathogen. Given the endemicity, the IUCN Red List status of the amphibian species on Sardinia, and the occurrence of infection and mortality caused by chytridiomycosis, there is serious reason for concern for the impact that disease emergence may have on the conservation of the amphibians of the island.
References
Alexander MA, Eischeid JK (2001) Climate variability in regions of amphibian declines. Conservation Biology 15:930-942.
Bielby J, Cooper N, Cunningham AA, Garner TWJ, Purvis A (2008) Predicting susceptibility to future declines in the world's frogs. Conservation Letters 1:82-90.
Bosch J, Carrascal LM, Durán L, Walker S, Fisher MC (2006) Climate change and outbreaks of amphibian chytridiomycosis in a montane area of Central Spain: is there a link? Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 274:253–260
Bosch J, Martínez-Solano I (2006) Chytrid fungus infection related to unusual mortalities of Salamandra salamandra and Bufo bufo in the Peñalara Natural Park, Spain. Oryx 40:84-89.
Bosch J, Martínez-Solano I, García-Paris M (2001) Evidence of a chytrid fungus infection involved in the decline of the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) in protected areas in central Spain. Biological Conservation 97:331-337.
Bosch J, Rincón PA (2008) Chytridiomycosis-mediated expansion of Bufo bufo in a montane area of Central Spain: an indirect effect of the disease. Diversity and Distributions 14:637-643.
Bovero S, Sotgiu G, Angelini C, Doglio S, Gazzaniga E, Cunningham AA et al (2008) Detection of chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the endangered Sardinian brook newt Euproctus platycephalus in southern Sardinia, Italy. Journal of Wildlife Disease 44:712-715.
Boyle DG, Boyle DB, Olsen V, Morgan JAT, Hyatt AD (2004) Rapid quantitative detection of chytridiomycosis (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in amphibian samples using real-time Taqman PCR assay. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 60:141-148.
Colomo S, Ticca F (1984) Sardinien, Bilder einer Insel. Archivio Fotografico Sardo, Nuoro, Italy.
Cooper N, Bielby J, Thomas G, Purvis A (2008) Macroecology and extinction risk correlates of frogs. Global Ecology and Biogeography 17:211-221.
DiGiacomo RF, Koepsell TD (1986) Sampling for detection of infection or disease in animal populations. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 189:22-23.
Fisher MC, Bosch J, Yin Z, Stead DA, Walker J, Selway L et al (2009) Proteomic and phenotypic profiling of an emerging pathogen of amphibians Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis shows that genotype is linked to virulence. Molecular Ecology 18(3):415–429
Garner TWJ, Walker S, Bosch J, Hyatt AD, Cunningham AA, Fisher MC (2005) Chytrid fungus in Europe. Emerging Infectious Diseases 11:1639-1641.
Hyatt AD, Boyle DG, Olsen V, Boyle DB, Berger L, Obendorf D et al (2007) Diagnostic assays and sampling protocols for the detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 73:175-192.
La Marca E, Lips KR, Lötters S, Puschendorf R, Ibáñez R, Rueda-Almonacid JV et al (2005) Catastrophic population declines and extinctions in neotropical harlequin frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus). Biotropica 37:190-201.
Laurance WF, McDonald KR, Speare R (1996) Epidemic disease and the catastrophic decline of Australian rain forest frogs. Conservation Biology 10:406-413.
Lips KR, Diffendorfer J, Mendelson III Jr, Sears MW (2008) Riding the wave: reconciling the roles of disease and climate change in amphibian declines. PLoS Biology 6, e72.
Pimm SL (1991) The balance of nature? University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Puddu F, Viarengo M, Erminio C (1988) Euprotto sardo. In: Animali di Sardegna: gli Anfibi e i Rettili. della Torre Ed., Cagliari, 192 pp
Schloegel LM, Hero J-M, Berger L, Speare R, McDonald K, Daszak P (2006) The decline of the sharp-snouted day frog (Taudactylus acutirostris): the first documented case of extinction by infection in a free-ranging wildlife species? EcoHealth 3:35-40.
Simoncelli F, Fagotti A, Dall’Olio R, Vagnetti D, Pascolini R, Di Rosa I (2005) Evidence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in water frogs of the Rana esculenta complex in Central Italy. Ecohealth 2:307-312.
Stagni G, Scoccianti C, Fusini R (2002) Segnalazione di chytridiomicosi in popolazioni di Bombina pachypus (Anura, Bombinatoridae) dell’Appennino toscoemiliano, Abstracts IV Congresso della Societas Herpetologica Italica. Societas Herpetologica Italica, Napoli
Walker SF, Salas MB, Jenkins D, Garner TWJ, Cunningham AA, Hyatt AD, Bosch J, Fisher MC (2007) Environmental detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in a temperate climate. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 77:105-112.
Woodhams DC, Alford RA, Briggs CJ, Johnson M, Rollins-Smith LA (2008) Life-history trade-offs influence disease in changing climates: strategies of an amphibian pathogen. Ecology 89:1627-1639.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, the IUCN, and the Societas Europaea Herpetologica for funding this project. J. Bielby was supported by a NERC studentship and T. Garner was supported by an RCUK Fellowship. Essential support in the field was provided by Marco Marrosu, Federico Monticone, Cecilia Fasso of the Ente Foreste della Sardegna, Campo Uomo, Sette Fratelli Mountains, Mr. Gianpiero Serra of the Ente Foreste della Sardegna, Limbara Nord Camp, Limbara Mountain, Mr. Nuccio Tucconi of the Ente Foreste della Sardegna, Monte Olia Camp and Alessio Sussarello of the Ente Foreste della Sardegna, Servizio territoriale di Tempio.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bielby, J., Bovero, S., Sotgiu, G. et al. Fatal Chytridiomycosis in the Tyrrhenian Painted Frog. EcoHealth 6, 27–32 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-009-0232-2
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-009-0232-2