Hyderabad: New test to save amphibian species

Hyderabad: More than 90 amphibian species have gone extinct due to Chytridiomycosis, a fungal infection. According to a recent study, 70 percent of amphibians in India are currently infected with Chytridiomycosis, putting many species at risk. To combat this threat, researchers at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in India, in collaboration with researchers in Australia and Panama, have developed a new diagnostic test for the successful detection of Chytridiomycosis in amphibians.

Chytridiomycosis is caused by two fungal pathogens, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). This infectious disease has led to unprecedented losses in amphibian diversity and is considered the primary driver of the “amphibian apocalypse,” which is closely monitored globally. The researchers at CCMB have developed and validated a new marker for the disease, which has now been published in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. The study reported that 70 percent of the amphibians with Chytridiomycosis infections were found in India.

Efficient surveillance and monitoring are necessary to track infections in amphibian populations, especially in regions where the fungus has become enzootic and is restricted, causing no death. The new diagnostic test developed by the researchers at CCMB works well in India, Australia, and Panama and is comparable in efficiency to the gold-standard test recommended for Chytridiomycosis. The new test can promote efficient surveillance of Chytridiomycosis in different parts of the world, leading to new insights into the transmission and infection pathways of this disease, according to Dr. Karthikeyan Vasudevan, the lead scientist from CCMB in the study.