MicrobiologyBytes

Chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a member of the Chytridiomycota division of the fungal kingdom, some of the most primitive of all fungi. The Global Amphibian Assessment has revealed that almost a third of the 5,743 known amphibian species are categorized as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable according to the World Conservation Union. Although causes such as climate change, other diseases, habitat loss, drought, pollution, and hunting for food are also involved these changes, the biggest single threat to amphibians appears to be the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. B. dendrobatidis is thus an emergent global pathogen, and amphibians worldwide are undergoing a global chytrid pandemic. However, there is some good news. Skin peptides produced by amphibians have potent antimicrobial activities, including against chytrid in some (but not all) cases, and may eventually turn out to be useful in the fight against human diseases. Learn more in this week’s podcast:

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Links:

• The Global Amphibian Assessment
• Lips KR, et al. Emerging infectious disease and the loss of biodiversity in a Neotropical amphibian community. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006 103: 3165-70.
• Pounds JA, et al. Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming. Nature. 2006 12; 439 (7073): 161-7.
• Woodhams DC, Predicted disease susceptibility in a Panamanian amphibian assemblage based on skin peptide defenses. et al. J Wildl Dis. 2006 42: 207-18.
• Woodhams DC, et al. Population trends associated with skin peptide defenses against chytridiomycosis in Australian frogs. Oecologia. 2006 146: 531-40.
• Fungus fighter found

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 12th, 2006 at 10:24 am and is filed under Environment, Fungi, Microbiology, Podcast, Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.