Chyrid fungus arrives at Japan's shores

Bad news first. The bad news is that the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has been confirmed in Japan for the first time. The good news is that chytridiomycosis hasn't been found in any wild specimens yet.

So far it's been found in frogs of Central and South American species that were kept by a Tokyo hobbyist/breeder. Also in frogs at a Tokyo area pet shop. And also in a frog that somebody imported directly from abroad.

I'm unsure whether these are the first recorded Asian cases or not.

(Message edited by TJ on January 14, 2007)

That Does not sound good what so ever!!
http://www.stlzoo.org/wildcareinstitute/amphibiancrisis.htm
Dont know if that helps but it speaks of this fungus eradicating the amphibian population.....

Thanks but you'll find more focused coverage of chytrid fungus at:

Global Invasive Species Database
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=123&fr=1&sts=

...and there's a whole slew of articles on the subject at:

Amphibian Diseases Home Page
http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/phtm/PHTM/frogs/chart.htm

Here is another link to it:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol10no12/03-0804.htm

What is this horrid fungus? In normal, understandable terms? Does it exist in the UK? How is it possible to tell it apart from normal fungus?

I don't know all the details, but it is basically a fungus that attacks the skin of amphibians, "suffocating" them and allowing secondary infections to finish off the animal. It is causing havoc in South and Central America and Australia where some species have been wiped out due to it, especially Atelopus frogs. The fungus has also been killing Common Toads in Italy, and it has been found in the wild here in Britain in the population of introduced American Bullfrogs. However i'm not sure if it has spread.

Podcast:
http://frogroom-podcast.blogspot.com/2006/09/chytrid.html

Kk I shall check them links out too xxx

<u>ASAHI SHIMBUN</u> (Tokyo, Japan) 13 January 07 Deadly amphibian disease found in pet frogs in Tokyo; first case in Asia
Chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease that has devastated frog and other amphibian populations overseas, was confirmed in imported pets in Tokyo, the first reported case in Asia, experts said Thursday.
The disease will not affect humans. But there is no effective measure to eradicate chytridiomycosis once it spreads in the natural environment, the experts said. Once in the wild, it can ravage ecosystems.
Biological experts are scheduled to issue an emergency joint statement Saturday calling for stronger quarantine procedures, tougher monitoring of sales and distribution channels and other countermeasures.
Chytridiomycosis was found in frogs imported from Central and South America that were kept as pets in Tokyo, according to the experts.
Of the 35 pet frogs of 11 species, 14 died in November and December last year.
Examinations conducted by Azabu University researchers confirmed on Dec. 25 that the frogs died of chytridiomycosis, probably after being infected by another frog or frogs bought in late October.
At least one frog from Latin America at a pet shop in the Kanto region tested positive for the disease earlier this month.
The course of action now is to ensure chytridiomycosis does not spread outdoors.
The emergency statement will be issued by 16 organizations, including the Japanese Society of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, the Herpetological Society of Japan, and the World Wide Fund for Nature Japan.
The statement will call on frog keepers not to release water that kept dead frogs into the outdoor environment. It will also call on frog importers and sellers to ensure their frogs are not infected.
"If you find an abnormality, no matter how small it may be, I'd like you to consult with a veterinarian," Yumi Une, an assistant professor of Azabu University's School of Veterinary Medicine, said. "There are steps for antisepsis and treatment, and the disease will not be transmitted to humans. Whatever you do, please do not release (infected frogs) outdoors."
Chytridiomycosis was confirmed in 1998 as the disease that caused a drastic decline in Australia's frog population in the 1990s.
The disease stems from the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and causes sporadic deaths in some amphibian populations and has a 100 percent mortality rate for others, according to Australia's Department of the Environment and Heritage.
Since the Australian case, the disease has been found in areas of the United States, Central and South America, Africa and Europe.
In Panama, for example, 48 amphibian species were infected, and their numbers plunged by about 90 percent.
Researchers later found that chytridiomycosis had spread from west to east at an annual rate of about 28 kilometers after the disease first infiltrated Panama in 1995.
With wild frogs wiped out in some areas in just two months, a project to protect more than 20 frog species at zoos and other facilities was initiated in Panama.
One huge problem in eradicating the disease is that chytrid fungus can survive in water for several weeks.
Experts warn that the fungus can easily proliferate in Japan because of the country's many mountain streams.
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200701130161.html

<u>NEW YORK TIMES</u> (New York) 12 January 07 Japan Finds First Frog Fungal Infections
Tokyo (AP): At least five frogs have died in Japan's first confirmed cases of a fungal infection linked to sharp reductions in amphibians in other parts of the world, an expert said Friday.
The discovery prompted animal and research groups in Japan to jointly declare an emergency, urging frog owners to contact veterinarians immediately for any abnormalities.
Yumi Une, assistant professor of Azabu University in Kanagawa, just west of Tokyo, said at least five frogs tested positive for the chytrid fungus recently.
Two of the five were kept as pets by a couple in Tokyo and tested positive for the fungus in late December while the infection of three other frogs in a pet shop near Tokyo was confirmed earlier this month, according to Une.
The chytrid fungus kills frogs by growing on their skin, making it hard for them to use their pores and regulate water intake. The frogs die of dehydration in the water. The parasitic skin fungus has a more than 90 percent likelihood of killing an amphibian, but is harmless to other species including human beings.
It is believed to be a major cause of the dramatic reduction of the number of amphibians in many parts of the world.
It is the first time that the fungus has been confirmed in frogs in Japan, according to Une. In Asia, only Australia had confirmed cases of the fungus infection.
Une said there had been no reports of massive deaths of wild frogs, a situation more grave because of the difficulties to contain infection.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Japan-Frogs-Fungus.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Japanese Language item at: http://www.wwf.or.jp/activity/wildlife/news/2007/20070112.htm

<u>KYODO NEWS</u> (Tokyo) 12 January 07 Conservationists declare emergency over lethal amphibian fungus
A coalition of Japanese research and conservation organizations declared a ''state of emergency'' on Friday after a lethal fungus that has been wiping out amphibians across the world was confirmed for the first time in Japan.
The 16 organizations, including WWF Japan, the Japanese Society of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine and the Herpetological Society of Japan, pledged to formulate an action plan in an effort to prevent the spread of the chytrid fungus to Japanese amphibians in the wild.
The fungus, which is only known to affect amphibians and can cause 100 percent mortality in some populations, was detected by Azabu University researchers on Dec. 25 from frogs kept at home by a Tokyo frog enthusiast and breeder.
The individual was reportedly keeping 35 frogs of 11 species found in Central and South America. Fourteen of them died in November and December.
On Friday, it was learned that two other cases of Chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, have turned up -- one involving three frogs being sold at a pet shop in the Kanto area, which includes Tokyo, and the other a frog imported by an individual.
Chytridiomycosis has been contributing to mass die-offs of amphibian populations worldwide -- and even species extinctions -- in recent years. It is also found in Africa, the Americas, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
There are no known effective measures to control the disease in wild amphibian populations. Once the fungal spores invade a habitat, they stay.
''Invasion by the chytrid fungus, we fear, could irreparably affect our country's biodiversity,'' the nongovernmental organizations said in their declaration.
They urged citizens to refrain from irresponsibly keeping wild-captured amphibians as pets, while calling on them to report any signs of fungal infection to veterinary authorities and not to carelessly dispose of either alive or dead animals.
Even disposing of water from contaminated tanks into the sewer system or the outside environment could result in the spread of the fungus, they warned.
Amphibians contract Chytridiomycosis after coming into contact with water that contains fungal spores from infected animals.
The fungus appears to attack keratin in the beaks of tadpoles and the sensitive skin of adult frogs and salamanders, through which they drink and breathe, causing the usually smooth surface to become roughened and irregular. The exact cause of death is unknown.
It appears to be harmless to mammals, birds, reptiles and fish.
The declaration urges the Japanese government to take urgent measures to protect Japan's amphibian biodiversity by undertaking field surveys, toughening up quarantine measures, better monitoring the pet trade, and revising regulations and laws as necessary.
Japan has a rich amphibian biodiversity, boasting some 22 species and subspecies of salamanders and newts, and 42 species and subspecies of frogs and toads.
Most of them are found nowhere else in the world, including the Japanese giant salamander, which at more than 1 meter in length is one of the world's largest amphibians. Once threatened by human consumption, it is now considered a natural monument and protected by law.
Japanese biologists noted that a close relative, the North American hellbender, has been substantially declining in numbers, apparently due partly to the spread of the chytrid fungus, leading them to fear that the Japanese giant salamander could suffer the same fate.

(Message edited by TJ on January 14, 2007)