# Chytrid Local?



## Leap (Mar 19, 2008)

I've been doing some light research (read: late night reading) on chytrid. I couldn't help but feel incredibly alarmed by the info I was finding. I mean, here I am in Kentucky reading about cases of chytrid as close as Georgia. Any dedicated websites to the study, or perhaps a place where people can post reports of chytrid evidence? Surely there is some way I as well as others can actively participate. I can't possibly imagine going outside during the warm months and not hearing a thousand calls.


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

Chytrid is through much of the US. I've got a friend who did some testing on Cricket Frog populations here in MI and found them to be positive for chytrid. Not all species are equally affected by the disease. For instance, bullfrogs seem to be immune to the disease. I don't think that we will see as many decreases as we see in Central and South America because amphibians here have to deal with a great deal of stresses (temperature stresses especially) and have better adapted immune systems. We'll still see some declines (like in the Red-legged Frog, I believe), but not as many as in the tropics.


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## Leap (Mar 19, 2008)

Well that's good to an extent. I'm going to do a lot more in depth reading on Chytrid tomorrow, I feel like I'm obligated to learn absolutely all I can about it.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

MonarchzMan said:


> Chytrid is through much of the US. I've got a friend who did some testing on Cricket Frog populations here in MI and found them to be positive for chytrid. Not all species are equally affected by the disease. For instance, bullfrogs seem to be immune to the disease. I don't think that we will see as many decreases as we see in Central and South America because amphibians here have to deal with a great deal of stresses (temperature stresses especially) and have better adapted immune systems. We'll still see some declines (like in the Red-legged Frog, I believe), but not as many as in the tropics.



Bullfrogs if they become stressed will die from chytrid. There is at least one confirmed mass mortality in a bullfrog farm in South America (see http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/eid/vol9no8/03-0030.htm )

The current theory is that chytrid die offs in temperate species may occur during hibernation and in the early spring and late fall as the frogs go into or emerge from hibernation due to the temperatures. Its too early to have a good picture as to what is going on but if I remember correctly tests on museum specimens indicate that it has probably been in the country since the 1950s so some of the declines maybe due to earlier infections... 

Ed


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

I saw a mass die off of leopard frogs while out looking for spotted turtles last year. I don`t think there were any greens or others although some were unidentifiable. Probably 50+ in one area while others were singing up a storm. Any chance chytrid has been confirmed in NY? I know they tested Long Island for the leopard frog die offs there and came up negative.


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## Ben_C (Jun 25, 2004)

> Any dedicated websites to the study, or perhaps a place where people can post reports of chytrid evidence?


http://www.spatialepidemiology.net/bd/
http://www.parcplace.org/bdmap.html

Those are a couple of websites but are more involved in confirmed cases of Chytridiomycosis.



> Bullfrogs if they become stressed will die from chytrid.


Relatively unstressed American Bullfrogs can be killed by _Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis_ as well...it seems that some populations are more resistant carriers than others (I know, you want a citation...I'll try to get it as soon as I am at my computer.)


Anyway, gotta run, I hope this info helps,
B


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Don't put yourself out too far Ben.. I trust your reference.. (but out of trying to keep up with stuff I am intensely curious..) 

I know chytrid has been found in Cryptobranchus in several states (unpublished as of yet) in the Northeast.... 

Ed


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

There hasn't been much research of chytrid in caudates, has there? Most of the research seems to be in anurans, but little in caudates and none that I know of on apodans...


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

From what I remember caudates had (some) the bacteria on their skin to cure chytrid infections and some were just resistant. Not to say they did a lot of research.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

frogfarm said:


> From what I remember caudates had (some) the bacteria on their skin to cure chytrid infections and some were just resistant. Not to say they did a lot of research.


Some ambystomids (A. tigrinum ssp) and some plethodontids appear to have some resistance or to be carriers however it does kill some caudates. However we have to keep in mind that there has been very little in the way of intensive surveying for it in the USA. 
Ed


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

Didn`t they find a bacteria that "ate?" BD that they were researching as a possible boi umm at a loss bioagent, bionemisis, whatever.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Hi Aaron,

They found it on redback salamanders however not all salamanders have the same bacterial communities (see http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 093959.htm) so we can't assume its the same for all of them. 

and for some inital work with it see http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11922 

Ed


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

Ah, Thanks Ed.


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## rburnj (Aug 19, 2004)

A lot more work needs to be done. However, surveying caudates has its challenges and this is one reason why anurans have seen more focus. Its always easier to find individuals when they are forming breeding colonies or you when vocal communication is used. Caudates are sneaky. You can have a drift fence up and still find eggs masses in the pools. You have to remember that resistance can be due to a number of factors. It can be from prolonged exposure, can be genetically determined, baterial flora presence, human presence, and mating systems. Some species are thought to be resistant because they still persist in the wild. This isn't necessarily the case because the mating system plays a huge role in the spread of disease. If species are communal they are at much greater risk than those that breed in small groups. There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account. 

Ryan


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## bbrock (May 20, 2004)

Just wanted to mention that there is opportunity for us to help with the chytrid issue by testing our local frogs. As you can see from the map that Ben posted a link to, the number of samples is pretty sparse. I spoke with Dr. Dede Olson who is coordinating the US mapping effort a couple months ago. She said there isn't really any funding available to do a massive sampling campaign, but if someone gets test results for amphibians, they will get those results on the map.

It would be a good way to spend $20. You can download a Bd sampling protocol from AArk. Multiple samples can be assayed as a single test as a rough cut just to see if chytrid is present in an area. For those areas that test positive, more discrete samples could be tested to see which species and what percentages test positive. Lee is working on seeing if we can set up pre-paid test kits through TWI so volunteers could purchase a kit and just pop the samples in a prepaid envelope to get the results.


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## npaull (May 8, 2005)

Keep us posted on that Brent, that sounds like an interesting project and a fun way to be involved.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

chytrid confirmed in oregon spotted frog populations in washington and oregon.


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## Frognut (Jan 31, 2005)

I would be interested in testing here! keep me posted or give us the contact info of someone heading this up.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

I am doing some interning for school doing amphibian research and the chytrid samples in washington were done by the person I will be interning for. I won't be doing any chytrid sampling, but he says that you can use tinactin to cure frogs infected with chytrid, and that once they have been treated for it once, they show a suprising resilience to it in the future


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