Böning Philipp, Hildwein Tobias, Ferner Viktoria, Henn Jonas, Kappe Eva, Erens Jesse, Lamp Benjamin, Eisenberg Tobias, Plewnia Amadeus
Biogeography Department, Trier University, Universitätsring 15, 54296, Trier, Germany.
Geobotany Department, Trier University, Universitätsring 15, 54296, Trier, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jun 25;15(1):20289. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06460-5.
Adverting biodiversity loss is one of the most urgent challenges of our time. The ongoing amphibian extinction crisis is the result of a multitude of factors, with emerging infectious diseases having played a key role. While extensive contributions have been made to study chytrid fungi and ranaviruses in the last two decades, other amphibian pathogens have remained largely unstudied. Here, we evaluated the spatiotemporal distribution of Bufonid herpesvirus 1 (BfHV1) in Europe, a pathogen capable infecting true toads (family Bufonidae). Using molecular detection and histology, we identified seven new BfHV1 positive sites in Germany and a first record for Luxembourg. Phylogenetic analysis of samples from these sites revealed a monophyletic cluster with the known BfHV1 reference sequences. Through additional systematic examination of photographic records from citizen scientists, we identified 229 BfHV1 cases (62 positive, 167 suspicious) in the genus Bufo (B. bufo, B. spinosus), with suspicious cases being widespread across Europe and dating back until at least 2007. As such, this first continental assessment suggests that BfHV1 has been rather overlooked than being recently emerging. Yet, in view of increasing observations of population declines in bufonids across Europe, additional research is warranted to assess its effects on amphibian populations.
关注生物多样性丧失是我们这个时代最紧迫的挑战之一。当前两栖动物灭绝危机是多种因素造成的，新出现的传染病在其中起了关键作用。尽管在过去二十年里人们对壶菌和蛙病毒进行了广泛研究，但其他两栖动物病原体在很大程度上仍未得到研究。在此，我们评估了欧洲蟾蜍疱疹病毒1（BfHV1）的时空分布，该病原体能够感染真蟾蜍（蟾蜍科）。通过分子检测和组织学方法，我们在德国发现了七个新的BfHV1阳性位点，并首次在卢森堡有了记录。对这些位点样本的系统发育分析揭示了一个与已知BfHV1参考序列的单系聚类。通过对公民科学家提供的照片记录进行额外的系统检查，我们在蟾蜍属（Bufo bufo、Bufo spinosus）中确定了229例BfHV1病例（62例阳性，167例可疑），可疑病例在欧洲广泛分布，最早可追溯到至少2007年。因此，这项首次大陆范围的评估表明，BfHV1一直被忽视，而非最近才出现。然而，鉴于欧洲各地蟾蜍种群数量下降的观察结果不断增加，有必要进行更多研究以评估其对两栖动物种群的影响。
