Reptile & Amphibian Forums

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7067613.stm
-----
2.2 Corn Snakes
1.2 Leopard Geckos
1.1 Crested Geckos
1.2 Green Anoles
1.0 Russian Tortoise
3.2 House Cats
0.0.1 African Millipede

RIP
Alice, Bruno, Lars

There are already anti fungals that will cure chytrid in captive frogs. Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic with so many serious side effects and long term consequences in humans, it has usually been used as the antibiotic of last resort for resistant bacteria, or specific imminently fatal infections. That it works on captive frogs to cure and prevent further infections of this systemic fungus is interesting, but how to apply this to the wild species that are so seriously and immediately threatened by this pandemic disease doesn't seem feasible. It is unlikely that as hobbyists who purchase our frogs from breeders we will ever personally encounter chytrid infections in them. The chytrid pandemic is also most likely related to environmental changes, which are scarcely being addressed by those most in control.
-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

Well Chytrid has been found in captive collections when testing has been used as well as in at least one importer...

See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11084755&dopt=AbstractPlus

http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/content/abstract/37/1/1 for some of the discussion.

Often we do not see the mortality in captive animals because the amphibians are usually not necropsied and may usually be kept at temperatures above 75 F (which is above the temperature at which chytrid becomes lethal...) however there is disturbing information coming out of the Zoo community where groups of anurans that have tested negative are suddenly coming up positive with a loss of animals. There is now speculation that there is a resistant spore (which some other chytrids have) that is allowing these infections ot occur. The suspected source of the infection is a resistant spore that comes in with some outside source like cage furnishings or even the water... (but I want to stress that this is still speculation).

I am interested in seeing the actual article post publication to see what was actually done with the treatments as there maybe cofounding issues (such as keeping the frogs say at 82 F which is above the lethal zone for chytrid). The media article is troubling as it lists the frogs as becoming resistant and cured and these two things are not necessarily the same thing....

Ed