Lethal effect of latex, nitrile, and vinyl gloves on tadpoles

Abstract

Tadpoles are studied in a variety of fi elds including husbandry, developmental physiology, toxicity testing, and basic biological and ecological research. In many instances it is necessary to use gloves when handling tadpoles or during water changes to protect the experimenter (e.g. teratology research) or to promote hygiene and prevent the transfer of pathogens between tadpoles (Retallick et al. 2006; Sobotka and Rahwan 1999). While investigating aspects of the virulent amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, we discovered that a variety of gloves can be lethal to tadpoles. We present here two case studies, one in the lab and one in the fi eld, and two experiments, all demonstrating the lethal effect of gloves on tadpoles. Following exposure to the various glove treatments, all tadpoles were categorized as either fine, listless, or dead.