A devastating disease that has wiped
out amphibians around the world has been discovered in Madagascar,
scientists report.
26 February 2015
 |
| Green Photo Archive - Credit F. Iaconianni |
A survey has found that the chytrid
fungus is present in numerous sites, although it is not clear whether
it is infecting frogs yet.
The island is home to 500 frog species,
and researchers fear they could be at significant risk.
The findings are published in the
journal Scientific Reports.
One of the authors, Goncalo Rosa, from
the Zoological Society of London, said he was worried about the
impact that the fungus could have.
"It is heartbreaking, especially
when you have an idea of what is happening elsewhere in other
tropical areas - you see the frogs are gone," he told BBC News.
"The same could happen to
Madagascar as well."
The chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium
dendrobatidis) was first identified in the 1990s and has swept across
the world.
It infects the animals through their
skin, and has killed off vast numbers of amphibians.
Madagascar was thought to be one of the
last places free from the disease, but now the fungus has been
confirmed in several sites across the island.
Scientists are trying to establish
whether the fungus has always been present, but just not detected, or
whether it has spread from elsewhere,
Mr Rosa said: "If these findings
represent endemic chytrid, it means it has been there forever,
coexisting with these frogs.
"But if we are talking about a
recent introduction, this is really worrying because we've seen what
has happened in other places. And if frogs in Madagascar have never
coexisted with the fungus, it could be catastrophic - this could
cause huge biodiversity loss."
Conservationists are particularly
worried because Madagascar is an amphibian haven. Many of its 500
species of frog are not found anywhere else in the world.
"This is what makes Madagascar
this special and unique place," said Mr Rosa.
If the disease is a new arrival,
scientists will try to work out how it got to the island.
It can be carried on people's clothes
or by invasive species, such as the recently introduced Asian common
toad.
Researchers are now trying to establish
where the disease has spread.
But with no cure, it may be difficult
to limit the impact it has on Madagascar's unique amphibians.
(source: BBC)
