Fungal diseases in amphibians

Abstract

The largest section of this chapter reviews chytridiomycosis, which has caused the decline and extinction of a multitude of amphibian species worldwide, and is the most devastating disease of wildlife on record. Oomycete infection of eggs in the United States has also been linked to localized amphibian declines and is reviewed in detail. Diseases due to Mucor amphibiorum and Ichthyophonus sp. have caused mortality in wild amphibians and are described in the last section although they have not been associated with population declines. Fungal diseases known only from captive amphibians, or fungal infection of wild amphibians not associated with disease, are not described. For a comprehensive description of fungal diseases in amphibians, including pathology and treatment, see Wright and Whitaker (2001). Although systemic fungal infections in mammals are usually associated with immunosuppression, many fungi are common primary pathogens in aquatic animals such as fish, crustaceans and amphibians (Reichenbach-Klinke and Elkan 1965).