A previously-unknown fungus is threatening the population of fire lizards in the Netherlands.
Researchers screened over 5,000 amphibians from four continents to assess the threat of the fungus, dubbed Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, Ghent University reported. They determined B. salamandrivorans is extremely dangerous to salamanders and newts, but does not appear to be a threat to frogs, toads and snake-like amphibians called caecilians.
The fungus is believed to have been present in Thailand, Vietnam and Japan as far back as 1861, but did not cause disease at the time. It is believed to have arrived in Europe fairly recently, and has only been found in the Netherlands and Belgium, but the researcher predict it will spread rapidly to other countries.
The great crested newt (which is a protected species in Europe) and the nearly threatened salamander Hydromantes strinatii, are both extremely susceptible to the deadly fungus.
"When a disease has been around for a long time, animals develop resistance to it. [Globalization] has resulted in the movement of humans and animals all across the world, bringing pathogens into contact with hosts that haven't had the opportunity to establish resistance. As a consequence, pathogens like B. salamandrivorans that are brought to a new environment can very rapidly threaten many species with extinction," said Professor Martel.
Asian salamanders are traded across the globe and over 2.3 million were imported to the U.S. between 2001 and 2009. The fungus can easily be transmitted between salamanders or even from species-to-species with minimal contact.
The findings were published Oct. 30 in the journal Science. The study was funded (among others) by the Special Research Fund of Ghent University, the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and was led by Professors An Martel and Frank Pasmans at Ghent University in collaboration with an international team of scientists.
