Crossing the threshold: an amphibian assemblage highly infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the southern Brazilian Atlantic forest |
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| Authors: | Jackson Fabio Preuss Carolina Lambertini Domingos da Silva Leite Luís Felipe Toledo Elaine Maria Lucas |
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| Institution: | 1. Programa de Pós-Gradua??o em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Comunitária da Regi?o de Chapecó (UNOCHAPECó), Chapecó, SC, Braziljackson_preuss@yahoo.com.br;3. Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;4. Laboratório de Antígenos Bacterianos, Departamento de Genética, Evolu??o e Bioagentes, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;5. Programa de Pós-Gradua??o em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Comunitária da Regi?o de Chapecó (UNOCHAPECó), Chapecó, SC, Brazil;6. Departamento de Zootecnia e Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Palmeira das Miss?es, RS, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | The fungal infection caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in amphibians is known to be lethal when infection intensity values exceed loads of 10,000 zoospores per individual. We investigated Bd infection intensity in 100 anurans of southern Brazil. Almost half of the individuals were infected and the intensity ranged from four to about 156,000 zoospore genomic equivalents. We found no clinical signs of chytridiomycosis and no evidence of mortality. However, we observed a reduction in the number of infected individuals with loads above 10,000 zoospores. This fact could be considered indirect evidence that individuals with high loads are removed from the population. |
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| Keywords: | Anurans chytridiomycosis emergent diseases conservation seasonal forest |
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