Title
Widespread occurrence of the antifungal cutaneous bacterium Janthinobacterium lividum on Andean water frogs threatened by fungal disease
Date Issued
20 November 2018
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Asociación Pro Fauna Silvestre Ayacucho
Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile
Florida International University
Publisher(s)
Inter-Research
Abstract
Amphibian diversity has declined due to the infectious disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Coexistence between am - phibian hosts and this pathogen in some locations is attributed to the presence of the cutaneous bacterium Janthinobacterium lividum (Jliv). This microbe inhibits the growth of Bd on the host, reduces morbidity, and improves survival. Andean water frogs in the genus Telmatobius seem to be particularly vulnerable to the disease yet populations of T. intermedius and T. marmoratus persist in southern and central Peru. We investigated the presence of Jliv on these 2 frog species and assessed the relationship of Jliv presence with prevalence and intensity of Bd infection. By sampling 125 frogs from 7 streams (3323-3950 m a.s.l.) and 27 from a city market, we found spatial variation in the mutualism among populations (range 0-40% proportion of Jliv-positives). Overall, 57% of frogs were infected with Bd, 12.5% of frogs hosted both Jliv and Bd, while 7.2% hosted just Jliv.We found that the probability of an individual being infected with Bd was independent of the presence of Jliv; however, we did detect a protective effect of Jliv with respect to intensity of infection. The extent of Jliv distribution in the high Andes stands in stark contrast to the rarity of Jliv on frogs in lower elevation cloud forest biomes.
Start page
233
End page
238
Volume
131
Issue
3
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Biología marina, Biología de agua dulce, Limnología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85056802085
PubMed ID
Source
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms
ISSN of the container
01775103
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus