Hyderabad, May 4: Researchers from the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), in collaboration with scientists from Australia and Panama, have developed a new test that can diagnose Chytridiomycosis, a deadly infectious disease that has led to the extinction of more than 90 amphibian species globally. Chytridiomycosis is caused by two fungal pathogens, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal).
The researchers have validated a new marker for the disease, which has been published in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Disease. The team, consisting of Ph.D. scholars, researchers, and scientists from CCMB, Bangalore University, Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park, Ashoka University in India; the University of New South Wales, James Cook University in Australia; and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, tested the new marker on several amphibian species, including frogs, toads, caecilians (limbless amphibians), and salamanders (tailed amphibians).
The study reported that 70% of the amphibians tested were infected with Chytridiomycosis, which is almost eight times higher than previous reports from India. The disease has caused an unprecedented loss of amphibian diversity, leading to its status as the driver of the “amphibian apocalypse,” and its status is being closely monitored globally.
According to Dr. Karthikeyan Vasudevan, the lead scientist from CCMB, “Our previous work on Bd fungus in India had shown that existing diagnostic assays are not sensitive. A universal, sensitive, specific, repeatable, and affordable diagnostic test is thus required to perform surveillance of Chytridiomycosis in an efficient manner. Our new diagnostic test works well in India, Australia, and Panama. Its efficiency is comparable to the gold-standard test recommended for Chytridiomycosis in different parts of the world, and it might lead to new insights into the pathway transmission and infection.” The researchers emphasize the need for surveillance and monitoring to track infection in amphibian populations, especially in regions where the Bd fungus has become enzootic (restricted and not causing death).
