Occurrence of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the Pacific Northwest

Journal of Herpetology
By: , and 

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Abstract

Chytridiomycosis (infection by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has been associated with amphibian declines in at least four continents. We report results of disease screens from 210 pond-breeding amphibians from 37 field sites in Oregon and Washington. We detected B. dendrobatidis on 28% of sampled amphibians, and we found ??? 1 detection of B. dendrobatidis from 43% of sites. Four of seven species tested positive for B. dendrobatidis, including the Northern Red-Legged Frog (Rana aurora), Columbia Spotted Frog (Rana luteiventris), and Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa). We also detected B. dendrobatidis in nonnative American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) from six sites in western and central Oregon. Our study and other recently published findings suggest that B. dendrobatidis has few geographic and host taxa limitations among North American anurans. Further research on virulence, transmissibility, persistence, and interactions with other stressors is needed to assess the potential impact of B. dendrobatidis on Pacific Northwestern amphibians. Copyright 2007 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Occurrence of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the Pacific Northwest
Series title Journal of Herpetology
DOI 10.1670/0022-1511(2007)41[145:OOTAPB]2.0.CO;2
Volume 41
Issue 1
Year Published 2007
Language English
Contributing office(s) Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Journal of Herpetology
First page 145
Last page 149
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