Early 1900s detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Korean amphibians
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
PLoS ONE
Publication Date
2-4-2015
Volume
10
Issue
3
First Page
1
Last Page
8
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Abstract
The pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a major conservation concern because of its role in decimating amphibian populations worldwide. We used quantitative PCR to screen 244 museum specimens from the Korean Peninsula, collected between 1911 and 2004, for the presence of Bd to gain insight into its history in Asia. Three specimens ofRugosa emeljanovi (previously Rana or Glandirana rugosa), collected in 1911 from Wonsan, North Korea, tested positive for Bd. Histology of these positive specimens revealed mild hyperkeratosis – a non-specific host response commonly found in Bd-infected frogs – but noBd zoospores or zoosporangia. Our results indicate that Bd was present in Korea more than 100 years ago, consistent with hypotheses suggesting that Korean amphibians may be infected by endemic Asian Bd strains.
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0115656
E-ISSN
19326203
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2015 Fong et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Fong, J. J., Cheng, T. L., Bataille, A., Pessier, A. P., Waldman, B., & Vredenburg, V. T. (2015). Early 1900s detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Korean amphibians. PLOS one, 10(3): e0115656. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0115656