title: Wildlife disease. Recent introduction of a chytrid fungus endangers Western Palearctic salamanders.
abstract: Emerging infectious diseases are reducing biodiversity on a global scale. Recently, the emergence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans resulted in rapid declines in populations of European fire salamanders. Here, we screened more than 5000 amphibians from across four continents and combined experimental assessment of pathogenicity with phylogenetic methods to estimate the threat that this infection poses to amphibian diversity. Results show that B. salamandrivorans is restricted to, but highly pathogenic for, salamanders and newts (Urodela). The pathogen likely originated and remained in coexistence with a clade of salamander hosts for millions of years in Asia. As a result of globalization and lack of biosecurity, it has recently been introduced into naïve European amphibian populations, where it is currently causing biodiversity loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. an.martel@ugent.be.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blooi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adriaensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Rooij
authors.affiliation: CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, Vairão, Portugal.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Beukema
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Genome Sequencing and Analysis Program, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Farrer
authors.affiliation: Koordinationsstelle für amphibien- und reptilienschutz in der Schweiz (KARCH), Passage Maximilien-de-Meuron 6, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich. Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Koordinationsstelle für amphibien- und reptilienschutz in der Schweiz (KARCH), Passage Maximilien-de-Meuron 6, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich. Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tobler
authors.affiliation: Invasive Alien Species Research Team, National Institute for Environment Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goka
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Lips
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muletz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Zamudio
authors.affiliation: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones cientificas (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.affiliation: Biogeography Department, Trier University, 54286 Trier, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lötters
authors.affiliation: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Kent CT2 7NR, UK. Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UK.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wombwell
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UK.
authors.forename: T W J
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Garner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UK.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.affiliation: Reptile, Amphibian and Fish Conservation the Netherlands (RAVON), Post Office Box 1413, 6501 BK Nijmegen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spitzen-van der Sluijs
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Science, Environmental and Life (Di.S.T.A.V.), University of Genova, Corso Europa 26, I-16132 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salvidio
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ducatelle
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida Nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.affiliation: Vietnam National Museum of Nature, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: James Cook University, One Health Research Group, School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kolby
authors.affiliation: Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Van Bocxlaer
authors.affiliation: Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bossuyt
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pasmans
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D008411:Chytridiomycota; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D056727:Endangered Species; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010802:Phylogeny; D014562:Caudata / Q000145:classification / Q000382:microbiology*