AbhilASh, Nair and SUJITH V., GOPALAN and SANIL, GEORGE and K. SANTHOSH, KUMAR (2011) Infectious Disease Screening of Indirana Frogs from the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot. Herpetological Review, 42 (4). 554-557 . ISSN 0018-084X

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Abstract

Amphibians are undergoing global declines, with 41% of amphibian species threatened with extinction (Hoffmann et al. 2010; Stuart et al. 2004). Emerging infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis and Ranavirus have been implicated among the possible reasons for some of these declines (e.g., Collins and Storfer 2003; Daszak et al. 1999; Schloegel et al. 2010). Chytridiomycosis is a disease caused by the parasitic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). It is known to cause mortality across a wide range of amphibian taxa by the disruption of cutaneous functions (Voyles et al. 2009). Bd infections were first reported in Panama and Australia in 1998, and are now known to affect amphibians across the globe, including species in North America, South America, Central America, Africa, Europe, New Zealand, and in parts of Asia (e.g., Berger et al.1998; Bradley et al. 2002; Changming et al. 2010; Garner et al. 2005; Kielgast et al. 2010; Lips 1999; Waldman et al. 2001). The viral amphibian pathogen Ranavirus, which is less well reported, also causes mass mortalities in the wild (Gray et al. 2009), in both common amphibian species and species thought to be in decline (e.g., Green et al. 2002). For example, it is known to cause mass mortalities in Eastern Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) in North America (Bollinger et al. 1999; Collins et al. 2004; Jancovich et al. 1997) and in the Common Frog (Rana temporaria) in the United Kingdom (Cunningham et al. 1996). Furthermore, recent studies have shown that Ranavirus infection can cause long-term population declines in R. temporaria (Teacher et al. 2010). To the best of our knowledge, no screening for Bd or Ranavirus has been reported from the Indian sub-continent, representing a very large gap in our knowledge of the distribution of these diseases. This is also evident from the current global distribution map of Bd (www.bd-maps.net; accessed 2 May 2011). Fig. 1. Locations of the sites in India screened for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Ranavirus (Rv).

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Chemical Biology
Depositing User:	Central Library RGCB
Date Deposited:	08 May 2018 06:26
Last Modified:	08 May 2018 06:27
URI:	http://rgcb.sciencecentral.in/id/eprint/580

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