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The world’s worst animal disease is killing frogs worldwide

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The world’s worst animal disease is killing frogs worldwide

  • A recent multinational study has developed a method to detect all strains of Chytridiomycosis.

Chytridiomycosis

  • It is an infectious disease that affects amphibians, especially frogs worldwide.
  • It is caused by either of two species of amphibian chytrid fungus. They are called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.
  • It is an emerging disease that is significantly impacting amphibian populations across the globe.
  • The disease has caused the decline or complete extinction of over 200 species of frogs and other amphibians.

How chytrid fungus infects the frog?

  • Chytrid fungus is a waterborne fungus that disperses into the environment in order to search for a new host.
  • The fungus travels through water sources until it finds a new host, and enters through the skin.
  • Chytrid infects frogs by reproducing in their skin.
  • The single-celled fungus enters a skin cell, multiplies, and then breaks back out onto the surface of the animal.
  • This damage to the skin affects the frog’s ability to balance water and salt levels and eventually leads to death if infection levels are high enough.

Prelims Take Away

  • Chytridiomycosis
  • Amphibians
  • chytrid fungus

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