Presence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in a Vulnerable frog in Trinidad, West Indies

Abstract

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 20:131-136 (2013) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00485 Presence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in a Vulnerable frog in Trinidad, West Indies Jahson B. Alemu I1, Michelle N. E. Cazabon-Mannette1, Andrew A. Cunningham2, Lena Dempewolf1, Adrian Hailey3,*, Ryan P. Mannette1, Kerrie T. Naranjit1, Matthew W. Perkins2, Alicia C. J. Schmidt-Roach1 1Project L.E.A.P., c/o Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago 2Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent?s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK 3Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago *Corresponding author. Email: adrian.hailey@sta.uwi.edu ABSTRACT: Amphibian chytridiomycosis occurs on a small proportion of West Indian islands, but the entire Caribbean region, including Trinidad, offers a suitable environment for the infection. We report the presence of the causative agent Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in 2 out of 12 populations sampled of the Vulnerable Trinidad stream frog, Mannophryne trinitatis. We analyzed 184 skin swabs collected from wild frogs using real-time PCR analysis. Follow-up sampling determined a prevalence of Bd infection of 3 and 23% in these 2 populations. We did not find any evidence of associated clinical disease. Bd-positive populations were located at the highest elevations studied (425 to 450 m). These 2 populations had more juveniles than other populations, and juveniles were more likely to be infected than adults. Our results suggest that sampling juveniles may provide the greatest sensitivity for any future monitoring for the presence of Bd in M. trinitatis populations in Trinidad. KEY WORDS: Mannophryne trinitatis · Aromobatidae · Juveniles · Amphibian chytrid · Caribbean Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Alemu JB I, Cazabon-Mannette MNE, Cunningham AA, Dempewolf L and others (2013) Presence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in a Vulnerable frog in Trinidad, West Indies. Endang Species Res 20:131-136. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00485 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 20, No. 2. Online publication date: April 02, 2013 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2013 Inter-Research.