First off, it is reasonable to assume those scientists do have contact with Chytrid Fungus as a normal part of their work, either intentionally or unintentionally, either in the lab or in the field, or both.



The scientist cannot do it all. The necessary surrogates and associates they use to do the grunt work may not be all that sophisticated. The volunteers, interns, undergraduates, cronies, locals, natives may vary at all different levels of sophistication and motivation.





Seriously doubt the scientist's control over all the collecting minutia/details...the variables, methods, processes, procedures, and protocols can be all that narrowly focussed and effective.



There is reasonable anecdotal evidence suggesting that data collectors working with protected turtle populations in the Eastern United States have done inadvertent damage to those protected turtle populations by spreading disease, while gathering data and conducting their surveys on behalf of the scientists.



jsc


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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"

John Crickmer

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