EARTH.COM - A team of scientists led by the University of California, Riverside (UCR) may have found a potential weak point in the fight against a fungus decimating frog and toad populations across the globe. The study focused on a virus that infects the fungus responsible for the global amphibian pandemic, offering a possible avenue for intervention.
Declining amphibian species worldwide
The culprit, a fungus known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or Bd, attacks the skin of frogs and toads, leading to heart failure. It is implicated in the decline of over 500 amphibian species worldwide and the possible extinction of 90 species, including the yellow-legged mountain frogs in the Sierras and the Panamanian golden frog.
However, the recent discovery of a virus that infects Bd not only contributes for understanding how fungal pathogens emerge and spread, but also sparks hope for halting what is currently termed a global amphibian pandemic.