Chytrid fungus infections in laboratory and introduced Xenopus laevis populations: assessing the risks for U.K. native amphibians

Tinsley, R. C.; Coxhead, Peter; Stott, Lucy C; Tinsley, Matthew C.; Piccinni, Maya Z.; Guille, Matthew

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.01.034

Cited by 16 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…In Colorado, where L. catesbeianus is invasive, the density of L. catesbeianus was positively correlated with Bd infection prevalence and load in co-occurring native fauna (Peterson and McKenzie 2014). On the other hand, a recent study failed to find evidence of increased Bd infection on native UK fauna due to the presence of invasive and Bd-infected Xenopus (Tinsley et al 2015). These different results across regions highlight the important interactions between amphibian communities and environmental factors in determining infection outcomes.…”

Section: Variation In Host Disease Susceptibility and Disease Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…On the other hand, a recent study failed to find evidence of increased Bd infection on native UK fauna due to the presence of invasive and Bd ‐infected Xenopus (Tinsley et al. ). These different results across regions highlight the important interactions between amphibian communities and environmental factors in determining infection outcomes.…”

Section: Variation In Host Disease Susceptibility and Disease Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Disentangling host, pathogen, and environmental determinants of a recently emerged wildlife disease: lessons from the first 15 years of amphibian chytridiomycosis research

James

Toledo

Rödder

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

208

218

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The amphibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which affects species across all continents, recently emerged as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Yet, many aspects of the basic biology and epidemiology of the pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), are still unknown, such as when and from where did Bd emerge and what is its true ecological niche? Here, we review the ecology and evolution of Bd in the Americas and highlight controversies that make this disease so enigmatic. We explore factors associated with variance in severity of epizootics focusing on the disease triangle of host susceptibility, pathogen virulence, and environment. Reevaluating the causes of the panzootic is timely given the wealth of data on Bd prevalence across hosts and communities and the recent discoveries suggesting co‐evolutionary potential of hosts and Bd. We generate a new species distribution model for Bd in the Americas based on over 30,000 records and suggest a novel future research agenda. Instead of focusing on pathogen “hot spots,” we need to identify pathogen “cold spots” so that we can better understand what limits the pathogen's distribution. Finally, we introduce the concept of “the Ghost of Epizootics Past” to discuss expected patterns in postepizootic host communities.

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Section: Variation In Host Disease Susceptibility and Disease Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Variation In Host Disease Susceptibility and Disease Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling host, pathogen, and environmental determinants of a recently emerged wildlife disease: lessons from the first 15 years of amphibian chytridiomycosis research

James

Toledo

Rödder

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

208

218

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Lake Madamete hosted two amphibian species, Rana temporaria (common frog) and Alytes obstetricans (midwife toad) at the time the experiment was conducted. While R. temporaria exhibits low susceptibility to Bd, A. obstetricans is a highly susceptible species (Tinsley et al ). Infection of A. obstetricans in the lake was first detected in 2006 with a prevalence of 10%.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Initiation ofBatrachochytrium dendrobatidisinfection in the absence of physical contact with infected hosts – a field study in a high altitude lake

Courtois

Loyau

Bourgoin

et al. 2016

Oikos

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Understanding transmission is a critical prerequisite for predicting disease dynamics and impacts on host populations. It is well established that Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the amphibian fungal pathogen responsible for chytridiomycosis, can be transmitted directly, through physical contact with an infected host. However, indirect pathways of transmission remain poorly investigated. We conducted a five-week long field infection experiment at a high altitude mountain lake in the French Pyrenees to investigate Bd transmission pathways in larval midwife toads Alytes obstetricans. Uninfected naïve tadpoles were co-housed either with infected tadpoles (direct and indirect transmission) or with uninfected ones (indirect transmission only). We found that physical contact with an infected host is not necessary for initial infection with Bd and that all tadpoles became infected after only four weeks. However, physical contact with infected tadpoles led to a faster spread within a tadpole group and resulted in higher Bd loads and subsequently higher mortality. Our findings clearly demonstrate that in A. obstetricans, Bd can quickly spread in a population even without physical contact. Our experiment therefore stresses the importance of indirect transmission of Bd zoospores in infected lakes for disease dynamics, especially when a reservoir species such as A. obstetricans is present.

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“…The individuals used in this study were part of the long-term mark-recapture study described above (Additional file: Table S 1 ; Tinsley et al 2015a , b ). Twelve of the 18 individuals sampled were born in 1993 (about 30 years after the initial population establishment), with the remainder born between 1999 and 2005; this sampling thus provides some perspective on changes in the population over time.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Copy number variation and genetic diversity of MHC Class IIb alleles in an alien population of Xenopus laevis

et al. 2015

Self Cite

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Xenopus laevis (the African clawed frog), which originated through hybridisation and whole genome duplication, has been used as a model for genetics and development for many years, but surprisingly little is known about immune gene variation in natural populations. The purpose of this study was to use an isolated population of X. laevis that was introduced to Wales, UK in the past 50 years to investigate how variation at the MHC compares to that at other loci, following a severe population bottleneck. Among 18 individuals, we found nine alleles based on exon 2 sequences of the Class IIb region (which includes the peptide binding region). Individuals carried from one to three of the loci identified from previous laboratory studies. Genetic variation was an order of magnitude higher at the MHC compared with three single-copy nuclear genes, but all loci showed high levels of heterozygosity and nucleotide diversity and there was not an excess of homozygosity or decrease in diversity over time that would suggest extensive inbreeding in the introduced population. Tajima’s D was positive for all loci, which is consistent with a bottleneck. Moreover, comparison with published sequences identified the source of the introduced population as the Western Cape region of South Africa, where most commercial suppliers have obtained their stocks. These factors suggest that despite founding by potentially already inbred individuals, the alien population in Wales has maintained substantial genetic variation at both adaptively important and neutral genes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00251-015-0860-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Chytrid fungus infections in laboratory and introduced Xenopus laevis populations: assessing the risks for U.K. native amphibians

Cited by 16 publications

References 35 publications

Disentangling host, pathogen, and environmental determinants of a recently emerged wildlife disease: lessons from the first 15 years of amphibian chytridiomycosis research

Disentangling host, pathogen, and environmental determinants of a recently emerged wildlife disease: lessons from the first 15 years of amphibian chytridiomycosis research

Initiation ofBatrachochytrium dendrobatidisinfection in the absence of physical contact with infected hosts – a field study in a high altitude lake

Copy number variation and genetic diversity of MHC Class IIb alleles in an alien population of Xenopus laevis

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