Scientists from the Global South have been inspired to innovate and develop new methods for tracking and monitoring the spread of the amphibian pandemic. Recognizing the importance of preserving the world’s amphibian populations, which are critical to maintaining ecosystem balance, these scientists have been actively involved in researching the pandemic’s causes and effects.
Scientists created and validated an assay that could be used to identify Indian strains of the amphibian chytrid fungus that had previously gone undetected. The novel assay is also applicable to other well-known strains from other parts of the world, such as the one found in Panama.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s (STRI) Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Center collaborated with India’s Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology to develop and validate a new test for chytridiomycosis strains, providing new insights into a wildlife disease that has caused dramatic declines in over 500 amphibian species and the extinction of 90 others. Their novel assay, which was published in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, successfully detected previously undetected Indian strains as well as strains from other parts of the world.
This assay will allow researchers to study and determine the spread of strains of the amphibian chytrid fungus that previously passed undetected, especially in countries around the Indian Ocean, where human trade has moved and introduced frog species.
Roberto Ibáñez
In India, the new diagnostic assay was tested on frogs, toads, caecilians (limbless amphibians), and salamanders (tailed amphibians), yielding comparable or even better results than the gold-standard assay recommended for chytridiomycosis diagnosis. Its efficacy was successfully validated in labs in Panama and Australia, demonstrating that it is a cost-effective alternative for widespread chytridiomycosis surveillance in various parts of the world.
Rapid detection of chytridiomycosis is critical for disease management and prevention. However, ongoing research on this infection caused by two fungal pathogens reveals a complex, dynamically evolving genome. As new strains emerge in different parts of the world and spread through the global trade of amphibians, large-scale surveillance for emerging hybrid varieties is required. The newly developed assay will aid global detection, highlighting the value of international scientific collaborations in the search for solutions to a common threat.
“This assay will allow researchers to study and determine the spread of strains of the amphibian chytrid fungus that previously passed undetected, especially in countries around the Indian Ocean, where human trade has moved and introduced frog species,” said STRI scientist Roberto Ibáñez, who collaborated in the study.
The new test may also aid in the detection of pathogen reservoirs that have not been identified yet. That is, amphibian species that are infected but show no visible symptoms of disease or mortality and can silently transmit the disease to other susceptible species in their environment.
“One strain of the amphibian chytrid fungus caused dramatic population declines, even the disappearance of amphibian species in Panama,” said co-author Ibáez. “The Chiriqu harlequin frog (Atelopus chiriquiensis) and Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki) have been absent for several years.” A few frog species have resurfaced in some areas, but they have not fully recovered their previous population levels. The amphibian chytrid fungus continues to pose a threat to vulnerable species in natural areas.”
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems.
