RACE: Risk Assessment of Chytridiomycosis to European amphibian biodiversity
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: School of Public Health
Abstract
Detailed in VR main application
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Matthew Fisher (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
19. Weldon C, Fisher MC.
(2011)
Fungal Diseases: An emerging threat to human, animal and plant health.
Bai C
(2012)
Global and endemic Asian lineages of the emerging pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis widely infect amphibians in China
in Diversity and Distributions
Bates KA
(2018)
Amphibian chytridiomycosis outbreak dynamics are linked with host skin bacterial community structure.
in Nature communications
Bielby J
(2009)
Fatal chytridiomycosis in the tyrrhenian painted frog.
in EcoHealth
Bosch J
(2018)
Long-term monitoring of an amphibian community after a climate change- and infectious disease-driven species extirpation.
in Global change biology
Bush A
(2015)
Diagnosis and management of asthma in children
in BMJ
Calboli FC
(2011)
The need for jumpstarting amphibian genome projects.
in Trends in ecology & evolution
Canessa S
(2018)
Decision-making for mitigating wildlife diseases: From theory to practice for an emerging fungal pathogen of amphibians
in Journal of Applied Ecology
Clare FC
(2016)
Climate forcing of an emerging pathogenic fungus across a montane multihost community
in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Series B
Doddington BJ
(2013)
Context-dependent amphibian host population response to an invading pathogen.
in Ecology
Farrer RA
(2011)
Multiple emergences of genetically diverse amphibian-infecting chytrids include a globalized hypervirulent recombinant lineage.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Farrer RA
(2013)
Using false discovery rates to benchmark SNP-callers in next-generation sequencing projects.
in Scientific reports
Farrer RA
(2013)
Chromosomal copy number variation, selection and uneven rates of recombination reveal cryptic genome diversity linked to pathogenicity.
in PLoS genetics
Fernández-Beaskoetxea S
(2015)
Short term minimum water temperatures determine levels of infection by the amphibian chytrid fungus in Alytes obstetricans tadpoles.
in PloS one
Fisher MC
(2009)
Endemic and introduced haplotypes of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Japanese amphibians: sink or source?
in Molecular ecology
Fisher MC
(2018)
Development and worldwide use of non-lethal, and minimal population-level impact, protocols for the isolation of amphibian chytrid fungi.
in Scientific reports
Fisher MC
(2012)
Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health.
in Nature
Fisher MC
(2009)
Global emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and amphibian chytridiomycosis in space, time, and host.
in Annual review of microbiology
Fisher MC, Stajich J, Farrer RA.
(2011)
Evolution of Virulence in Eukaryotic Microbes
GARNER T
(2011)
Climate change, chytridiomycosis or condition: an experimental test of amphibian survival
in Global Change Biology
Garner TW
(2009)
The amphibian trade: bans or best practice?
in EcoHealth
Description | RACE has undertaken an assessment of the disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), in Europe's amphibians. The project has mapped the current distribution of Bd (www.bd-maps.eu) and shown that the pathogen's distribution is widespread across Europe and infecting multiple amphibian species. Risk assessment identified the most at-risk amphibian taxa, geographic regions, realised/potential vectors, and pathways of disease introduction into Europe. The project has identified a complex epidemiology with host, pathogen and environmental factors all playing a role in determining whether populations persist, or decline, when infected. Key findings show that multiple Bd lineages occur in Europe that vary in their virulence. However, the viability of an amphibian community following introduction of infection depends on a suite of environmental and host - dependent variables that include abiotic (altitude, temperature) and biotic (host and microbial community composition) factors. By manipulating these factors, progress has been made in lessening the burden of disease in infected populations suggesting that stabilising infected amphibian populations, and in some cases complete clearance of infection, is possible. The finding that novel Bd lineages occur in trade-associated animals as well as widely infecting introduced non-native species raises the likelihood that the international trade plays a role in vectoring Bd. The recent emergence of a new species of chytrid, B. salamandrivorans, that is highly pathogenic to European fire salamanders is likely to be caused by ongoing introductions of amphibian-infecting chytrids into Europe. There is a clear need to continue ongoing surveillance and assessments of the health of Europe's amphibians, as well as to tighten biosecurity in traded species. However, our results clearly show that disease introductions have occurred, and will occur again. The progress that we have made in understanding what facilitates serious disease versus endemic infection provides routes to applied strategies for mitigating disease. Further work needs to be undertaken to put these principles into practice in order to conserve Europe's amphibian biodiversity. However, the threat that amphibian-infecting chytrids pose to Europes amphibians is increasing and urgent action at the national and international level is needed if further losses of biodiversity are to be avoided. |
Exploitation Route | Control of trade in infected wildlife; European Parliament and UK Government |
Sectors | Environment |
URL | http://www.biodiversa.org/552 |
Description | Our findings have been used to develop a policy brief to the EU Parliament http://www.biodiversa.org/552 |
First Year Of Impact | 2010 |
Sector | Environment |
Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
Description | Conference talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk given at the British Society for Parasitology Conference in London |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://bsp.uk.net/2016/05/02/blog-bsp-2016-spring-meeting/ |
Description | Presentation at ZSL scientific event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation regarding the potential impact of invasive species on emergence of threatening amphibian infectious diseases, delivered as part of the ZSL Scientific Event launching the 2016 Living Planet Report |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://www.zsl.org/science/whats-on/the-living-planet-report-2016-threats-pressures-and-addressing-... |
Description | WILDLIFE DISEASES ON THE INCREASE: A MAJOR THREAT FOR EUROPE'S BIODIVERSITY |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | IUCN policy brief to the European Parliament Change to incoming EU 'Animal Health' Law |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.biodiversa.org/552 |
Description | Washington Post article |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Washington Post article featuring front-page Science article 'Exotic pet trade linked to invasive fungus that's killing frogs globally' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/05/10/exotic-pet-trade-linked-to-inv... |