Prevalence of the pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in an endangered population of northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens

摘要

Emerging infectious diseases threaten naïve host populations with extinction. Chytridiomycosis, an emerging infectious disease of amphibians, is caused by the pathogenic fungus () and has been linked to global declines in amphibians. We monitored the prevalence of for four years in the Northern leopard frog, , which is critically imperiled in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The prevalence of initially increased and then remained constant over the last three years of the study. Young of the year emerging from breeding ponds in summer were rarely infected with . Some individuals cleared their infections and the return rate between infected and uninfected individuals was not significantly different. The BC population of appears to have evolved a level of resistance that allows it to co-exist with . However, this small population of remains vulnerable to extinction.