title: Successful elimination of a lethal wildlife infectious disease in nature.
abstract: Methods to mitigate the impacts of emerging infectious diseases affecting wildlife are urgently needed to combat loss of biodiversity. However, the successful mitigation of wildlife pathogens in situ has rarely occurred. Indeed, most strategies for combating wildlife diseases remain theoretical, despite the wealth of information available for combating infections in livestock and crops. Here, we report the outcome of a 5-year effort to eliminate infection with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis affecting an island system with a single amphibian host. Our initial efforts to eliminate infection in the larval reservoir using a direct application of an antifungal were successful ex situ but infection returned to previous levels when tadpoles with cleared infections were returned to their natal sites. We subsequently combined antifungal treatment of tadpoles with environmental chemical disinfection. Infection at four of the five pools where infection had previously been recorded was eradicated, and remained so for 2 years post-application.
authors.affiliation: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid 28006, Spain bosch@mncn.csic.es.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.affiliation: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid 28006, Spain.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Tomé
authors.affiliation: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid 28006, Spain.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández-Loras
authors.affiliation: Conselleria de Medi Ambient i Mobilitat, Govern de les Illes Balears, Gremi Corredors 10, Polígon Son Rossinyol, Palma 07009, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, St Mary's Hospital, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
authors.forename: Trenton W J
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Garner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001001:Anura / Q000382:microbiology*; D008411:Chytridiomycota / Q000187:drug effects*; D004202:Disinfectants; D062312:Islands; D017964:Itraconazole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D010545:Peroxides; D061005:Ponds / Q000382:microbiology; D013030:Spain; D013464:Sulfuric Acids
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004202:Disinfectants; D010545:Peroxides; D013464:Sulfuric Acids; C071517:monoperoxysulfate; D017964:Itraconazole
keywords: Alytes muletensis; Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Mallorca; chytridiomycosis; mitigation