Abstract
The amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been implicated in amphibian declines around the globe. Although it has been found in most countries in Central America, its presence has never been assessed in Belize. We set out to determine the range, prevalence, and diversity of Bd using quantitative PCR (qPCR) and sequencing of a portion of the 5.8 s and ITS1-2 regions. Swabs were collected from 524 amphibians of at least 26 species in the protected areas of the Maya Mountains of Belize. We sequenced a subset of 72 samples that had tested positive for Bd by qPCR at least once; 30 samples were verified as Bd. Eight unique Bd haplotypes were identified in the Maya Mountains, five of which were previously undescribed. We identified unique ecological niches for the two most broadly distributed haplotypes. Combined with data showing differing virulence shown in different strains in other studies, the 5.8 s - ITS1-2 region diversity found in this study suggests that there may be substantial differences among populations or haplotypes. Future work should focus on whether specific haplotypes for other genomic regions and possibly pathogenicity can be associated with haplotypes at this locus, as well as the integration of molecular tools with other ecological tools to elucidate the ecology and pathogenicity of Bd.
Highlights
The amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a chytrid fungus, is globally distributed [1] and has been implicated in the declines of over 200 amphibian species [2,3,4]
Of the subset of quantitative PCR (qPCR) products that had tested positive for Bd at least once and that we sequenced (n = 72), 31 sample sequences were positive for Bd
Sequenced samples of the broadly-distributed pathogen Bd contained eight unique 5.8 s – ITS1-2 haplotypes of Bd, five of which were previously undescribed sequences
Summary
The amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a chytrid fungus, is globally distributed [1] and has been implicated in the declines of over 200 amphibian species [2,3,4]. Several authors have used models to gain further insights into the bioclimatic factors which may limit or predict the distribution of Bd [13,14,15,16]. These authors have lacked genetic diversity data which would allow them to evaluate separate haplotypes of Bd. all observations of Bd-positive samples have, by necessity, been treated as equals with regard to habitat niche. Haplotypes with different virulence and biology [7,8] may have dissimilar ecology
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