Chytridiomycosis

Facts for Prelims

Chytridiomycosis

News: For the past 40 years, a devastating fungal disease, called chytridiomycosis or chytrid, has been ravaging frog populations around the world, wiping out 90 species. It is called as “panzootic” – Pandemic in the world of animals.

About:
 Chytrid infects frogs by reproducing in their skin, affecting their ability to balance water and salt levels, and eventually leading to death if infection levels are high enough.
 The high mortality rate and the high number of species affected make chytrid unequivocally the deadliest animal disease known to date.
 Chytrid originated in Asia and was unwittingly spread to other continents through global travel and trade in amphibians.
 The disease has led to decline in over 500 frog species worldwide.
 Researchers use a qPCR test to detect chytrid in frogs by swabbing their skin. qPCR stands for quantitative polymerase chain reaction.