# Salt and Chytrid



## UberKyle (Jun 14, 2006)

Although long term exposure to high salinities is deadly to an amphibian, its also deadly to the fungi that grow on amphibians, and in proper doses can kill the fungus and not the amphibian.

What do we know about using salt baths to fight chytridmycosis? Is it eneffective, is the fungus more resistant than the amphibian?

Just a thought I'd throw out there, see if anyone knew of an answer, or would be willing to take up the research opportunity, but I'd have to imagine this avenue has been explored.
Kyle


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

My first thought is that ha high salt bath would be an extremelt hypertonic soultion not to mention the salinity would be extreme. Frog's skin is basically a semipermeable membrane that water moves in an out of very easily, so if you put the frog in a high saline bath you would essentially pull so much water out of the frog's system so fast in an attempt t reach equilibrium that there is no way the frog could survive. Also, my guess is that the salinity would have adverse effects to the frogs skin (burns maybe?) and would be a deterrent. It may or may work to kill the chytrid, but the time it would take to work would mst surely (I think) be too long for the frog to stand and it would perish also. A good thought, but logically I don't think it can work without either killing the frog or putting in in such a overstressed state that it never recovers, but I'm not a research scientist so maybe they havea differing opinion.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Hi Kyle,

snip "Although long term exposure to high salinities is deadly to an amphibian, its also deadly to the fungi that grow on amphibians, and in proper doses can kill the fungus and not the amphibian. "endsnip

Do you have any references on the salinity in which it will kill chytrid? Was it just on the zoospores or did it include discussion once it has infiltrated the skin? 

I am asking as it looks like you are making a statement and not asking a question so I am curious if you have seen any data on this yet.... 

In addition to the osmotic shock to the entire amphibian, there would also be osmotic effects directly on the cells that make up the epidermis. A significant enough osmotic shock can cause localized tissue death which can then cause further issues like disrupting the ability of the drinking patch to function properly. 

Ed


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## UberKyle (Jun 14, 2006)

Ah, I should have been more specific in this statement.
This is much more of an assumption based on the idea that salt baths are used with amphibians to kill other fungal attacks. The example that comes to mind is when fungus grows on an axolotls gills, one remedy is a 15-20 minute saline bath (6 gm/Liter NaCl) once a day until the fungus is gone. 
This was pulled from information on caudata.org. 

Nothing has been presented to me, showing that salt even kills chytrid... I would assume it would, but who would be more resilliant, the frog or the fungus? 

Sorry for the confusion there, I need to present my questions in a more precise form.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I can perhaps dig up the article later, but I believe I read that NaCl makes a good sterilant for chytrid. I believe it was a very dilute salt solution and soaking things in it for 30 minutes.

However, I have not come across articles about it killing chytrid established in an infected animal.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Interesting. Does this mean that brine shrimp are guaranteed to be free of chytrid due to the enviroment they are raised in? I kinda doubt a 30 minute salt solution would kill chytrid though...but if so some plants could probably take that easier than other methods. Only thing is that stuff like coccidia can probably survive a salt bath no problem.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Chytrid grows well in 6.25 mg/ml of NaCl and enters a static phase at 12.5 mg/ml. This converts to a very salty solution unless there was a misprint in the original article..... 

Ed


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