RE: NANFA-L-- more on disease dangers - cytrid fungus info

Crail, Todd (tcrail-in-UTNet.UToledo.Edu)
Sat, 26 Aug 2006 11:55:07 -0400

I've got a couple friends who are working on the cytrid front, one of them
recently went to Panama to move animals into captivity. Because they're
working out of the Toledo Zoo, the Toledo Blade has been doing a fairly good
job of covering the spread abroad and at home. Might be an interesting
starting point, with only a couple degrees of separation.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060806/NEWS06/6080603
05&SearchID=73254942432970

Of course, if you have questions, I can always forward them on to them. I've
not allowed myself to become obsessed with _that_ problem, so I can't answer
things too specifically... Unionid mussels are enough for one person to bear.
:)

And mind you... The current thinking is the african clawed frogs you see in
pet shops were the vector from Africa to here. I don't think they mention
that in the articles.

Todd
The Muddy Maumee Madness, Toledo, OH
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
http://www.farmertodd.com

________________________________

From: owner-nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org on behalf of Bonnie McNeely
Sent: Sat 8/26/2006 11:40 AM
To: nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- more on disease dangers - cytrid fungus info anyone?

Becky, Batrachus is an old Greek name for frog in general. You're right that
Dendrobates is the generic name for poison dart frogs. Chytridae is a group
of "fungae," (they may end up being classified with protista, closer to
certain algae than to fungae) with mobile spores. The species that infects
amphibian skin was first known from the Golden Toad of Central America. You
should be able to find a lot more about it by googling. The specific epithet
of this fungus probably does derive from the fact that it infects Dendrobates.
Batrochotoxin is the name for a whole series of toxins found in a variety of
vertebrate animals that interact with ants. The toxin is called batrachotoxin
because it was first known from frogs. Later it was described from a New
Guinae bird, and the thought then was that a gene for its production had been
evoluationarily conserved from the time of the split between amphibians and
reptiles. Now it is known that the toxin is in ants, and that
vertebrates physiologically sequester it, rendering the animal toxic. Wow,
right!? Ain't nature grand? I'm sure you can find more about this by
googling, too.

Dave

Becky Kendell <appycowgirl34-in-yahoo.com> wrote:
<>

This may not be the list to ask this question, but since it was mentioned, is
there anyone out there who knows details about this fungus? I am into frogs,
and heard about it a lot, but I never saw the scientific name for the
fungus....it confuses me....Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.... Dendrobatid is
the scientific name for poison dart frogs...and batrachotoxin is the toxin
found in dendrobates terribilis (the most poisonous creature on the planet).
What is the connection between these two things that makes their name so
similar? Was it maybe first discovered on dart frogs?

Becky
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail.
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