Author:
Webb Rebecca J.,Waddle Anthony W.
Abstract
By the late 1980s, widespread dramatic declines in amphibian populations were causing alarm. The culprit was identified as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a chytrid fungus that infects the skin of various amphibian hosts, particularly anurans (frogs), and the first example of a chytridiomycete parasitising vertebrates. The disease, chytridiomycosis, has spread globally and is linked to the decline and extinction of many amphibian species. This review summarises the discovery of Bd, its emergence as a panzootic pathogen, and some current mitigation strategies to conserve amphibians.
Subject
Microbiology (medical),Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,Microbiology