A SURVEY FOR CHYTRID FUNGUS IN THAI AMPHIBIANS

摘要

The chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, is implicated as a major cause of global die-offs of amphibians. Curiously, it has not been reported to date from Asia. The presence of this fungus in many other parts of the world suggests that it is already present, but undetected, in Asia or that it will be introduced in the future through human or animal movements. We undertook a histological screening of museum specimens to test for the presence of B. dendrobatidis in Thailand in the last 60 years. Histological results for 123 adult specimens representing 28 species were all negative. We propose several follow-up studies to continue testing for the presence of this pathogen.