Disease Risk Analysis and Post-Release Health Surveillance for a Reintroduction Programme: the Pool FrogPelophylax lessonae

Abstract

Running Head: Disease risk analysis for a reintroduction programme 2 SummaryThere are risks from disease in undertaking wild animal reintroduction programmes. Methods of disease risk analysis have been advocated to assess and mitigate these risks,and, post-release health and disease surveillance can be used to assess the effectiveness of the disease risk analysis but results for a reintroduction programme have not to date been recorded. We carried out a disease risk analysis for the reintroduction of pool frogs (Pelophylax lessonae) to England, using information gained from the literature and from diagnostic testing of Swedish pool frogs and native amphibians. Ranavirus and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis were considered high risk disease threats for pool frogs at the destination site. Quarantine was used to manage risks from disease due to these two agents at the reintroduction site: the quarantine barrier surrounded the reintroduced pool frogs. Post-release health surveillance was carried out through regular health examinations of amphibians in the field at the reintroduction site and collection and examination of dead amphibians. No significant health or disease problems were detected but the detection rate of dead amphibians was very low. Methods to detect a higher proportion of dead reintroduced animals and closely related species are required to better assess the effects of reintroduction on health and disease.

Occurrence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Sweden: higher infection prevalence in southern species

“…We found Bd at 45.5% of the sites sampled, indicating that the fungus is widespread in southern Scandinavia, and providing the northernmost observations of this emerging pathogen in Europe (site 89, Lillträsket, Table S1). This result contrasts with studies in the turn of the millennium using material from central Sweden, where no Bd positive individuals were found in the 197 (Garner et al 2005) and 367 (Sainsbury et al 2017) mainly P. lessonae samples. In 2017-2018, prevalence in P. lessonae within the same area was 31 % (Table S1).…”

Global reintroduction perspectives: 2018. Case studies from around the globe

“…Head-starting was used in addition to hard release in some years, with mixed success. Early discussions with veterinary experts (the Institute of Zoology) were important, to ensure that we Female pool frog © Jim Foster/ARC implemented a full disease risk assessment, disease risk management, and postrelease health surveillance (Sainsbury et al, 2016). An advisory group, comprising species experts, landowners and regulatory authorities, assessed progress by reviewing monitoring reports, undertaking site visits and providing additional advice on methods.…”

Investigating the potential use of an ionic liquid (1-Butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) as an anti-fungal treatment against the amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

“…Active amphibian management (e.g., reintroductions, in situ intervention, ex situ mitigation) take proactive (pre-emergence) and reactive (post-emergence) approaches to dealing with emerging infectious diseases [17]. There are active amphibian conservation projects to mitigate chytrid impacts on amphibian populations using habitat management [18], amphibian translocations [19,20], amphibian reintroductions [21], and amphibian capture-treat-release [22]. Other research has searched for cures of infected individuals, including but not limited to probiotics/microbiomes [13,[23][24][25][26][27][28]; antimicrobial peptides [29][30][31][32][33]; anti-fungal baths and elevated body temperature [34][35][36]), or natural selection of resistance/tolerance genes (e.g., mycobiome [37]; MHC/immunogenes [38][39][40][41]).…”