Center for Wildlife Health, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, 427 Plant Biotech Building, 2505 E. J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
J Wildl Dis. 2021 Oct 1;57(4):942-948. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-20-00214.
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans is an emerging fungus that is causing salamander declines in Europe. We evaluated whether an invasive frog species (Cuban treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis) that is found in international trade could be an asymptomatic carrier when exposed to zoospore doses known to infect salamanders. We discovered that Cuban treefrogs could be infected with B. salamandrivorans and, surprisingly, that chytridiomycosis developed in animals at the two highest zoospore doses. To fulfill Koch's postulates, we isolated B. salamandrivorans from infected frogs, exposed eastern newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) to the isolate, and verified infection and disease by histopathology. This experiment represents the first documentation of B. salamandrivorans chytridiomycosis in a frog species and substantially expands the conservation threat and possible mobilization of this pathogen in trade.
蛙壶菌是一种新兴的真菌，正在导致欧洲的蝾螈数量减少。我们评估了一种在国际贸易中发现的入侵青蛙物种（古巴树蛙，Osteopilus septentrionalis），当暴露于已知感染蝾螈的游动孢子剂量时，它是否可能成为无症状携带者。我们发现古巴树蛙可能被蛙壶菌感染，令人惊讶的是，在两个最高游动孢子剂量下，动物会发展出壶菌病。为了满足科赫的假设，我们从感染的青蛙中分离出蛙壶菌，将东部蝾螈（Notophthalmus viridescens）暴露于分离株中，并通过组织病理学验证感染和疾病。该实验首次记录了蛙壶菌在青蛙物种中的壶菌病，并极大地扩大了这种病原体在贸易中的保护威胁和可能的传播。
