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Skin-eating Asian fungus imperils world's salamanders

Chinadog

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Let's hope this is the beginning of the end for the mass imports of Asian species. Even regulating the imports in some way would hopefully drive the prices of the animals up and make people think twice before they buy them to toss in with the tropical fish to die.
 

Stupot1610

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I heard about this on the news this morning, I also saw something on frogforum about it a couple of weeks back. It's really worrying, I certainly hope it doesn't spread far. Although I realis it may well do so.

Stuart
 

velasco13000

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Perhaps we might be able to discover how to treat the fungus, we have been figuring out how to fight Ebola , why can't we also try to discover a cure for this fungus?
 

Chinadog

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It could be simple to treat like Chytridiomycosis, it's the impossibility's of treating wild populations for these infections that makes them so deadly.
 

FrogEyes

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Essentially, it IS chytridiomycosis. It's in the same genus, and thus has very similar biology. Odds are that, while detection and victim profiles are different, treatment will be similar. B.dendrobatidis, for example, only seems to be infectious at a certain population density, and it is consumed by Daphnia.

What's especially interesting is that 1) B.dendrobatidis now seems to have a much longer history and possibly originated outside Africa. There are at least two old lineages from Brazil, and others from Asia. 2) B.salamandrivorans originally tested negative in China, but now has an old history as well. It might well have originated elsewhere or have an older and wider distribution. There's really no reason for it to not be native to Europe or Africa as well.
 

Chinadog

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Chytrid was blamed for the massive decline in Rana temporaria here in the UK, but they are starting to turn up again in the places that saw huge losses. Do you think this is because a certain percentage of the population already had a natural immunity to it?
 

Stupot1610

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Chytrid was blamed for the massive decline in Rana temporaria here in the UK, but they are starting to turn up again in the places that saw huge losses. Do you think this is because a certain percentage of the population already had a natural immunity to it?

I think it's highly possible. I know links to other forums are frowned upon, please forgive me, but there is a very similar conversation going on in the amphibian section of reptileforums: Reality check - Reptile Forums
 

Jari B

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I found some dead Salamandra salamandra terrestris in Belgium near one of the chytrid hot spots. It's horrible to see and feel so helpless for these poor animals. This particular area had many firesalamanders when I was a little kid. Now there are almost none. I found 3 death animals within 2 meters away from each other. The animals were sent to the univeristy of Gent in Belgium. The test results came up negative but it's probably a false negative because the animals were dead for a little while. I heard that's that area is being monitored well now.
 
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