# New vector of chytrid



## Rusty_Shackleford (Sep 2, 2010)

Tainted Toes- Geese are carrying frog-killing fungus on their feet
Scientists have found one more way that a deadly fungus may be spreading among amphibians: via the toes of wild geese.
The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a well-known killer of amphibians around the world. How the pathogen is transmitted, though, is less clear. Infected amphibians without symptoms are probably contributing to the spread, but scientists haven’t been sure if other species are also to blame.
Researchers tested 397 wild geese from Belgium and found that 76 birds were carrying B. dendrobatidis on their toes. Lab tests showed that goose toe scales tended to attract the fungus, the team reports in PLoS ONE. The fungus could also survive in dry conditions on the toe scales for half an hour, long enough for geese to fly 30 kilometers.
Geese might not come into contact with amphibians that often: the birds flock to wetlands, rivers, and lakes rather than ponds. But when the two groups of animals do mix, the geese’s funky feet may be helping to transmit the pathogen. — Roberta Kwok | 17 April 2012
Source: Garmyn, A. et al. 2012. Waterfowl: Potential environmental reservoirs of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. PLoS ONE doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035038.



19% of the birds they tested carried BD. I don't know about the rest of the country, but here in the Chicago suburbs, Canadian geese have become a nuisance. In the predator-less suburbs they invade every golf course, subdivision, office park, roadside ditch, anywhere with water. Who wants to do some goose hunting?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Was the chytrid motile or non-motile?? 

Ed


----------



## Rusty_Shackleford (Sep 2, 2010)

Ed said:


> Was the chytrid motile or non-motile??
> 
> Ed


"From day 4 on, numerous motile zoospores were present and a clear colonization of the scale surfaces with numerous sporangia and post-discharge sporangia was observed"
It further states that motile zoospores were present until the end of the experiment (14 days)


----------



## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Long barreled BB pistol would be better than a shotgun in a public place. Although its going to look a little strange when people walk past you sitting on a bench with a circle of dead geese around you....


----------



## lukebalsavich (Feb 14, 2006)

Geese are actually known to frequent ponds (even temporary ones) in addition to lakes, streams, and rivers. This could certainly be a more likely vector for movement of the pathogen through the prairie pothole region, where so many smaller wetlands are available. I wonder about other migratory birds that move through lots of frog habitat and go from wetalnd to wetland, and even come into contact with frogs, such as herons.


----------



## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Can chytrid survive an avian digestive system?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Rusty_Shackleford said:


> "From day 4 on, numerous motile zoospores were present and a clear colonization of the scale surfaces with numerous sporangia and post-discharge sporangia was observed"
> It further states that motile zoospores were present until the end of the experiment (14 days)


Finally got around to reading the whole article.. It implies that chytrid can use waterfowl as an alternate host but the tests for that were using autoclaved toes and toe scales which were sterile and inoculated only with chytrid. This makes extrapolation to the wild difficult since we also now know that microbial fauna can prevent infection of amphibians that can otherwise be susceptiable to infection. It will be nice to see if it actually does use them to complete the life cycle. It does confirm that it can be translocated to new sites by water fowl. 

Ed


----------



## Rusty_Shackleford (Sep 2, 2010)

Ed said:


> Finally got around to reading the whole article.. It implies that chytrid can use waterfowl as an alternate host but the tests for that were using autoclaved toes and toe scales which were sterile and inoculated only with chytrid. This makes extrapolation to the wild difficult since we also now know that microbial fauna can prevent infection of amphibians that can otherwise be susceptiable to infection. It will be nice to see if it actually does use them to complete the life cycle. It does confirm that it can be translocated to new sites by water fowl.
> 
> Ed


That's basically what I got out of it too. Sounds like further study on wild geese is needed. However it is scary to know that BD can be translocated by water fowl. That could spread it pretty rapidly.


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Rusty_Shackleford said:


> That's basically what I got out of it too. Sounds like further study on wild geese is needed. However it is scary to know that BD can be translocated by water fowl. That could spread it pretty rapidly.


 
It would help to explain the regular expansion in some areas and how it pops up in some unusual locations seperated from other areas (for example showing up in in the Arizona mountains...). 

Ed


----------



## stu&shaz (Nov 19, 2009)

Fascinating post Jon,and worrying too, Canadian geese are becoming an ever growing problem here aswell
thankyou
Stu


----------



## edwardsatc (Feb 17, 2004)

I suppose Kerry Kriger will want to build an air defense system for geese to keep them from entering the U.S. ...


----------



## Rusty_Shackleford (Sep 2, 2010)

edwardsatc said:


> I suppose Kerry Kriger will want to build an air defense system for geese to keep them from entering the U.S. ...


Since geese maybe possible spreading BD is this an instance where we CAN blame Canada?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Rusty_Shackleford said:


> Since geese maybe possible spreading BD is this an instance where we CAN blame Canada?


Only after we blame the game management of the species and our creating perfect habitat for their populations to explode (particularly in the East of the non-migrating subspecies). 

Ed


----------



## Rusty_Shackleford (Sep 2, 2010)

Ed said:


> Only after we blame the game management of the species and our creating perfect habitat for their populations to explode (particularly in the East of the non-migrating subspecies).
> 
> Ed


I blame myself too as I gave up goose hunting 15 years ago. You bring up a good point though. There are many geese that live here year round. Golf courses and retention ponds are perfect goose habitat. An entire industry (goose removal) has sprung up overnight due to this problem. If someone is looking for an investment opportunity go buy a few pairs of swans. People will rent your swans from you for the summer to keep geese out of their ponds. Every year the swans breed, you have more swans to distribute. The hard part is catching them at the end of summer.


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Rusty_Shackleford said:


> I blame myself too as I gave up goose hunting 15 years ago. You bring up a good point though. There are many geese that live here year round. Golf courses and retention ponds are perfect goose habitat. An entire industry (goose removal) has sprung up overnight due to this problem. If someone is looking for an investment opportunity go buy a few pairs of swans. People will rent your swans from you for the summer to keep geese out of their ponds. Every year the swans breed, you have more swans to distribute. The hard part is catching them at the end of summer.


And moving swans around is the same as moving geese around.... waterfowl are waterfowl.. You also have to have enough swans to keep the geese off the water, and that number may be above the ability of the pond/water way to handle the damage from feeding on the plants (and if the water is too shallow, you run the risk of losing the swans to botulism)... Gathering them up in mass and butchering them for food banks would be a good start. Several years ago, New Jersey held a hunting season to focus on non-migratory populations of geese.. I should check to see if it is still in effect. 

Ed


----------



## Rusty_Shackleford (Sep 2, 2010)

I wonder if a plan was presented to a state's Dept. of Concservation, F&W, etc. if they would consider a goose hunt like that. If it's explained that a harvest of non migratory geese would actually help the environment and slow the spread of BD it seems like a win win situation. I don't think Illinois has a hunt like New Jersey does. I bet I could drive to 3 subdivisions tomorrow and count well over a few hundred geese.


----------



## lukebalsavich (Feb 14, 2006)

Green and Blue herons are cruising around the banks, hitting more areas that frogs are typically inhabit. They also have a tendency of moving from spot to spot while searching for food. The implication of my reference to herons was not that chytrid would survive the intestinal track but that the birds perhaps would be more likely to move the zoospores around, and perhaps therefore would merit more interest. Although there are many many more geese. Cranes are also worth considering for the same reasons.


----------



## ridinshotgun (Nov 28, 2007)

It isn't just state fish and game that has to sign off on season adjustment. The geese, whether migratory or a resident population, is considered a migratory bird and is affected by several international treaties so USFWS has to sign off on any change to a season. 

Folks within USFWS admit that they would never alter season because there would be too much backlash from animal rights groups. It is easier to apply for a special permit to kill them for damage to crops or golf courses than to change the hunting seasons.



Rusty_Shackleford said:


> I wonder if a plan was presented to a state's Dept. of Concservation, F&W, etc. if they would consider a goose hunt like that. If it's explained that a harvest of non migratory geese would actually help the environment and slow the spread of BD it seems like a win win situation. I don't think Illinois has a hunt like New Jersey does. I bet I could drive to 3 subdivisions tomorrow and count well over a few hundred geese.


----------

