Crossing the threshold: an amphibian assemblage highly infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the southern Brazilian Atlantic forest

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Anurans
• chytridiomycosis
• emergent diseases
• conservation
• seasonal forest

Acknowledgments

We thank Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária e Extensão Rural (EPAGRI) for providing meteorological data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina [FAPESC #6949/2010–3]; National Council of Technological and Scientific Development [CNPq #405285/2013–2]; and São Paulo Research Foundation [FAPESP #2011/51694–7; 2014/23388-7].