Hill Aubree J, Hardman Rebecca H, Sutton William B, Grisnik Matthew S, Gunderson John H, Walker Donald M
Tennessee Technological University, Department of Biology, 207C Pennebaker Hall, 1100 N Dixie Avenue, Cookeville, Tennessee 38505, USA.
University of Tennessee, Center for Wildlife Health, 427 Plant Biotechnology Building, 2505 E. J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
J Wildl Dis. 2021 Jul 1;57(3):553-560. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-20-00218.
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is an emerging fungal pathogen that affects salamander and newt populations in Asia and Europe. In the Western Hemisphere, Bsal represents a major threat to endemic amphibian populations, which have not evolved resistance to infection, and which could experience local extinction events such as those observed in European fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra). We report findings of a survey focusing specifically on wild lungless salamanders in the southeastern US, the most biodiverse location for salamander species globally. Between May 2016 and July 2018, we conducted 25 surveys at 10 sites across three ecoregions in Tennessee, US. Using quantitative (q)PCR, we screened water samples and skin swabs from 137 salamanders in five plethodontid genera. Although single replicates of six samples amplified during qPCR cycling, no samples could be confirmed as positive for the presence of Bsal with 28S rRNA PCR and independent laboratory screening. It is probable that we found false positive results, as reported by other researchers using the same assay. We offer recommendations for future monitoring efforts.
蝾螈壶菌（Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans，简称Bsal）是一种新出现的真菌病原体，影响亚洲和欧洲的蝾螈和小鲵种群。在西半球，Bsal对当地两栖动物种群构成重大威胁，这些种群尚未进化出对感染的抵抗力，可能会经历局部灭绝事件，就像在欧洲火蝾螈（Salamandra salamandra）身上观察到的那样。我们报告了一项专门针对美国东南部野生无肺螈的调查结果，这里是全球蝾螈物种生物多样性最高的地区。2016年5月至2018年7月期间，我们在美国田纳西州的三个生态区域的10个地点进行了25次调查。我们使用定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）对来自五个无肺螈属的137只蝾螈的水样和皮肤拭子进行了筛查。尽管在qPCR循环过程中有六个样本的单份重复样本出现了扩增，但通过28S rRNA PCR和独立实验室筛查，没有样本能被确认为存在Bsal呈阳性。正如其他使用相同检测方法的研究人员所报告的那样，我们很可能发现了假阳性结果。我们为未来的监测工作提供了建议。
