ASAHI SHIMBUN (Tokyo, Japan) 13 January 07 Deadly amphibian disease found in pet frogs in Tokyo; first case in Asia
Chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease that has devastated frog and other amphibian populations overseas, was confirmed in imported pets in Tokyo, the first reported case in Asia, experts said Thursday.
The disease will not affect humans. But there is no effective measure to eradicate chytridiomycosis once it spreads in the natural environment, the experts said. Once in the wild, it can ravage ecosystems.
Biological experts are scheduled to issue an emergency joint statement Saturday calling for stronger quarantine procedures, tougher monitoring of sales and distribution channels and other countermeasures.
Chytridiomycosis was found in frogs imported from Central and South America that were kept as pets in Tokyo, according to the experts.
Of the 35 pet frogs of 11 species, 14 died in November and December last year.
Examinations conducted by Azabu University researchers confirmed on Dec. 25 that the frogs died of chytridiomycosis, probably after being infected by another frog or frogs bought in late October.
At least one frog from Latin America at a pet shop in the Kanto region tested positive for the disease earlier this month.
The course of action now is to ensure chytridiomycosis does not spread outdoors.
The emergency statement will be issued by 16 organizations, including the Japanese Society of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, the Herpetological Society of Japan, and the World Wide Fund for Nature Japan.
The statement will call on frog keepers not to release water that kept dead frogs into the outdoor environment. It will also call on frog importers and sellers to ensure their frogs are not infected.
"If you find an abnormality, no matter how small it may be, I'd like you to consult with a veterinarian," Yumi Une, an assistant professor of Azabu University's School of Veterinary Medicine, said. "There are steps for antisepsis and treatment, and the disease will not be transmitted to humans. Whatever you do, please do not release (infected frogs) outdoors."
Chytridiomycosis was confirmed in 1998 as the disease that caused a drastic decline in Australia's frog population in the 1990s.
The disease stems from the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and causes sporadic deaths in some amphibian populations and has a 100 percent mortality rate for others, according to Australia's Department of the Environment and Heritage.
Since the Australian case, the disease has been found in areas of the United States, Central and South America, Africa and Europe.
In Panama, for example, 48 amphibian species were infected, and their numbers plunged by about 90 percent.
Researchers later found that chytridiomycosis had spread from west to east at an annual rate of about 28 kilometers after the disease first infiltrated Panama in 1995.
With wild frogs wiped out in some areas in just two months, a project to protect more than 20 frog species at zoos and other facilities was initiated in Panama.
One huge problem in eradicating the disease is that chytrid fungus can survive in water for several weeks.
Experts warn that the fungus can easily proliferate in Japan because of the country's many mountain streams.
Deadly amphibian disease found in pet frogs in Tokyo

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