Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

March 19, 2023

According to researchers Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is killing out or driving to the verge of extinction hundreds of amphibian species.

About Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis:

  • It is a fungus that affects the keratin in the skin of amphibians, resulting in chytridiomycosis. 
  • It was initially discovered in Queensland, Australia, in the 1990s after several frog species were found dead.
  • The fungus is believed to spread through spores discharged into water from amphibian skin.
  • A 2019 study published in the journal Science suggests that fungal infection is to blame for the global population reduction of 39 per cent of frog species.
  • It is most prevalent in South and Central America, Australia, and North America.
  • It causes death suggesting that the fungus disrupts essential functions of the frog skin (uptake of essential ions, respiration).