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Invasive North American bullfrogs transmit lethal fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infections to native amphibian host species

Miaud, C; Dejean, T; Savard, K; Millery, A; Valentini, A; Gaudin, NCG; Garner, TWJ; (2016) Invasive North American bullfrogs transmit lethal fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infections to native amphibian host species. Biological Invasions , 18 (8) pp. 2299-2308. 10.1007/s10530-016-1161-y. Green open access

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Abstract

Invasive species can be a threat to native species in several ways, including transmitting lethal infections caused by the parasites they carry. However, invasive species may also be plagued by novel and lethal infections they acquire when invading, making inferences regarding the ability of an invasive host to vector disease difficult from field observations of infection and disease. This is the case for the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in Europe and one invasive host species, the North American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus, hypothesized to be responsible for vectoring lethal infection to European native amphibians. We tested this hypothesis experimentally using the alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris as our model native host. Our results show that infected bullfrog tadpoles are effective vectors of Bd. Native adult newts co-housed with experimentally infected bullfrog tadpoles became Bd infected (molecular and histological tests). Moreover, the exposed adult newts suffered mortality while the majority of infected bullfrog tadpoles survived until metamorphosis. Invasive species can be a threat to native species in several ways, including transmitting lethal infections caused by the parasites they carry. However, invasive species may also be plagued by novel and lethal infections they acquire when invading, making inferences regarding the ability of an invasive host to vector disease difficult from field observations of infection and disease. This is the case for the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in Europe and one invasive host species, the North American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus, hypothesized to be responsible for vectoring lethal infection to European native amphibians. We tested this hypothesis experimentally using the alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris as our model native host. Our results show that infected bullfrog tadpoles are effective vectors of Bd. Native adult newts co-housed with experimentally infected bullfrog tadpoles became Bd infected (molecular and histological tests). Moreover, the exposed adult newts suffered mortality while the majority of infected bullfrog tadpoles survived until metamorphosis. These results cannot resolve the historical role of alien species in establishing the distribution of Bd across Europe or other regions in the world where this species was introduced, but they show its potential role as a Bd reservoir capable of transmitting lethal infections to native amphibians. Finally, our results also suggest that the removal of infected bullfrogs from aquatic environments may serve to reduce the availability of Bd in European amphibian communities, offering another justification for bullfrog eradication programmes that are currently underway or may be considered

Type: Article
Title: Invasive North American bullfrogs transmit lethal fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infections to native amphibian host species
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1007/s10530-016-1161-y
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1161-y
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016. This is the accepted manuscript version of the article published in Biological Invasions; the final publication is available from Springer at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1161-y
Keywords: Introduced amphibian, Disease, Cross-contamination, Fungus, Alpine newt
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1492879
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