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A Backer Publication
pet age | may 2009
Practical Ideas for the busy pet retailer of today ... and tomorrow
’phibs
in peril
A backer publication
Circle 103 on Reader Service Card
Frogs, toads and salamanders
are being decimated by the
worst infectious disease ever
recorded among wildlife.
Find out how the pet industry is
fighting this threat—and why it
matters to you. ➤ 32
’phibs in peril
Frogs, toads and salamanders are being decimated by the worst infectious disease ever
recorded among wildlife. Here’s what’s happening to contain the biggest threat most
T
here are plenty of unanswered
questions about the chytrid
fungus in frogs and other
amphibians, but one thing
seems certain: Action must be
taken to confront this slowly
unfolding crisis.
The modern epidemic of chytrid
fungus first came to international
attention in 1999, when biologists
described a new species of fungus
called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis,
or Bd for short. Within a few years,
field biologists were blaming massive
amphibian kills throughout the world
on Bd, which flourishes in moist, cool
habitats.
According to the Amphibian Ark, a
nonprofit group of scientists working
to protect amphibians, Bd results in
the disappearance of about 50 percent
of amphibian species and 80 percent
of individual amphibians wherever it
thrives. Worse yet, there is no way to
control the disease in the wild, making
Bd one of the worst mass extinction
events in recorded history.
The implications for the pet trade
are profound—at least in part because
the pet trade probably helped spread
the disease, along with zoos and
research programs that move amphibians around the globe. Already, Bd has
been discovered on every continent
except Antarctica, in both public and
private collections. As these animals
move from large-scale breeders to pet
32
pet age l May 2009
shops to hobbyists, they are almost
certainly spreading the infection to
new populations and even into the
wild.
Recognizing the threat, breeders,
hobbyists and the Pet Industry Joint
Advisory Council (Washington) have
swung into action to address the problem. They are also working closely with
zoos, conservationists and academics
to develop a comprehensive strategy to
contain the worst threat most amphibian species have ever confronted.
Awareness Campaign
Kicks Off
In 2007, PIJAC co-sponsored
an international conference entitled “Amphibian Declines and
Chytridiomycosis: Translating Science
into Urgent Action.” The conference,
which attracted 200 participants,
The horned marsupial frog is threatened by chytridiomycosis. Captive-breeding projects in Panama
hope to safeguard the now-rare species.
launched the Bd-Free ’Phibs educational campaign designed to spread
the word about Bd.
“We’re not just focused on
industry,” said Dr. Jamie Reaser,
senior adviser for health and
environmental stewardship at PIJAC.
“It’s anybody who has amphibians in
a captive context.”
Since the conference, however,
the group has been in “fund-raising
mode,” according to Reaser, who conducted her doctoral work on amphibian declines.
“We have funds for a start-up and
we’re working on a Web site and campaign materials,” Reaser said. “Fund
raising is important to help develop
campaign materials for commercial
enterprises, hobbyists and pet shop
owners. The need is twofold: to make
sure the materials are helpful, and to
make sure the information is disseminated as widely as possible.”
Whatever the final campaign looks
like, Reaser is hoping it will get a positive reception in the industry.
“I think there’s a large percentage
of the community who aren’t aware
this is an issue,” Reaser said. “But
those that understand the issue and
are aware of it are very supportive.
Understandably so, because a lot of
these people got into the trade because
they love animals.”
Among the supporters is the
Sandfire Dragon Ranch in Bonsall,
AMPHIBIAN ARK
amphibian species have ever confronted—and why it matters. BY JON VANZILE
JOHN J. MOSESSO/NBII.GOV; ©PRO777/DREAMSTIME.COM; ©SBONK/DREAMSTIME.COM; JOHN J. MOSESSO/NBII.GOV
Calif. Sandfire is one of the country’s
largest breeding facilities for pet frogs,
as well as a leading voice in the industry when it comes to Bd.
“I wouldn’t say it’s affected our business,” said Michael Ready, amphibian specialist with Sandfire Dragon
Ranch. “But depending on how the
industry rallies and how the science
plays out, it could affect the industry
enormously.”
The Quest for
Standard Protocols
One of the main goals of the PIJACsponsored conference was to begin
developing protocols to detect, prevent and treat the chytrid fungus.
So far, however, no standards have
emerged, and multiple groups are
working simultaneously on their own
approaches.
Phoenix-based PetSmart, which
announced it was developing antiBd protocols after the conference,
declined to comment for this story. A
spokesperson said the company is still
working on the issue.
Things haven’t gone much further
in the academic world, where a number of research groups and zoos are
independently developing protocols
even as new science is still emerging.
Dr. Allan Pessier, a veterinary pathologist at the San Diego Zoo, hopes to
change this. Pessier recently hosted a
conference with some of the world’s
leading chytrid researchers to “bring
vets in animal husbandry together, go
through all the protocols and develop
a disease control manual. A lot of
the current protocols have common
threads and are based on the same
original source documents,” Pessier
said.
where did bd come from?
O
ne of the maddening aspects of the Bd epidemic is how poorly understood
the disease really is. It was first identified in 1999, but biologists suspect
it has been around for much longer than that. In hindsight, some of the mass
amphibian die-offs from previous generations bear the hallmarks of chytrid
infection.
However, the current epidemic is so dangerous because it’s been so widespread. Many biologists believe that Bd was first carried from South Africa on
the African clawed frog. These frogs are asymptomatic carriers of Bd and they were widely used
in biomedical research. In many cases, biologists
say the original researchers weren’t using proper
biosecurity. Waste water was dumped into public
water supplies, extra animals were released, and
discharge wasn’t handled properly.
But even this explanation has come under fire.
“You could say the exact same thing about the The American bullfrog is susAmerican bullfrog,” said Dr. Jamie Reaser, senior pected of being a likely carrier
adviser for health and environmental steward- of the fungus that is decimating
ship for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council amphibian species.
(Washington). “They are resistant and have been
moved around the world for frog farming for longer than African clawed frogs.”
Today, Bd is turning up even in isolated, pristine pockets of wilderness.
“We may never know where it came from,” Reaser said. “But that shouldn’t
prohibit us from doing everything we can do. I don’t think it’s going to be completely eradicated. My hope is that it can be significantly impacted.”
—Jon VanZile
pet age l May 2009
33
QUICKTip
For more information about the Bd-Free ’Phibs campaign
and the chytrid fungus, visit www.pijac.org and click on
Bd-Free ’Phibs.
Stakes Are High
While many of these issues have
yet to be settled, cost is an obvious
concern. Any new measures to screen
for chytrid, quarantine animals, and
test and treat will inevitably make it
more expensive to produce and sell
amphibians.
Unfortunately, detecting chytrid
with the current methods is difficult
and can be expensive. The current
PCR test used to detect the fungus
costs between $10 and $30 per test.
With a population of 50,000 frogs or
more, it would be prohibitive to test
every animal at a large operation like
Sandfire.
PREVENTING AND TREATING BD
T
here is no consensus on the best way to deal with the chytrid fungus, but a
few broad guidelines have emerged. The precautionary measures are condensed from guidelines produced by the Amphibian Ark and other researchers
involved in fighting the epidemic:
F Quarantine all new amphibians for two to three months. During quarantine,
never share water, utensils or enclosures between populations. Ideally, animals
should be tested at least twice, six weeks apart, during quarantine using a PCR
test. (In the United States, PCR testing is available through Pisces Molecular in
Boulder, Colo.).
F Consider water that has come into contact with amphibians to be contaminated for at least seven weeks. All water, moist soil and objects used to
handle amphibians also should be considered infected. Before disposal, everything
should be disinfected with a 1 percent bleach solution or heated to 120 degrees
Fahrenheit for 30 minutes to kill the fungus.
F Consumers and hobbyists should be made aware of chytrid and educated
about proper husbandry techniques.
F Amphibians should never be released into the wild, nor should dead animals
be disposed of in the wild.
The main symptom of chytrid in frogs is excessive shedding of skin, but this
does not provide a definitive diagnosis.
Infected animals can be treated with a weak solution of itraconazole, a powerful antifungicide.Treatment regimens vary, but a five-minute bath in a 0.01percent
itraconazole solution for 11 consecutive days has been shown to eradicate the
disease.
Mike Ready, a scientist at Sandfire Dragon Ranch in Bonsall, Calif., reports that
some hobbyists are using the over-the-counter fungicide spray Lamisil at about
1 mL per 200 mL of clean water (1 mL equals about 10 squirts from the spray
bottle).The frogs are bathed for five minutes for 11 consecutive days.There is no
published research on this treatment, but Ready says that hobbyists are reporting
anecdotal success.
For more specific recommendations regarding prevention, testing and treatment, visit:
F www.amphibianark.org/chytrid.htm
F www.open.ac.uk/daptf/froglog/FROGLOG-46-1.html
F www.issg.org/database/species/reference_files/batden/man.pdf
F www.nzfrogs.org/site/nzfrog/files/Treatment%20Protocol.pdf
—Jon VanZile
The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council launched the Bd-Free ’Phibs educational campaign to help
prevent the spread of the chytrid fungus.
“For people producing in this country, it would drive up their costs,” said
Ron Gagliardo, a training officer for
the Amphibian Ark and a researcher
based at Zoo Atlanta. “But it might
wipe out trade for places like Peru,
Suriname and other poor countries.”
While U.S. producers might not be
wiped out, the prospect of increased
costs is not a welcome one. As owner of
The Frog Ranch in Granite Bay, Calif.,
Kim Thomas is a longtime amphibian
breeder and wholesaler. Thomas says
his collection consists almost entirely
of captive-bred animals, and multiple
tests have shown no Bd in his facility.
“We’ve always practiced pretty tight
biosecurity,” he said. “Since we don’t
deal in wild-caught animals, it’s not an
issue for us.”
To Kim, one of the biggest threats
comes not from the disease, but from
the reaction to it.
“I’d be inclined to go along with
any new protocols,” he said. “But my
fear is that people will overreact. I
hope it doesn’t get tied up in legislation with restrictions and permits and
become a revenue-producing tool for
the government.”
Nevertheless, Kim’s willingness to
go along with new protocols—despite
having a stable population of Bd-free
animals—speaks to a deeper truth that
everyone is painfully aware of: The
cost of inactivity might be hard to
comprehend.
“What could this cost in the loss of
animals?” Reaser said. “Because if you
get Bd in your collection and you have
susceptible animals, you’ll probably
lose those animals.”
In even starker terms, Pessier
said, “This disease has been moved
around by people. I think it’s a moral
obligation.”
pa
Jon VanZile is a freelance writer based in
Pompano Beach, Fla.
34
pet age l May 2009
PIJAC
But chytrid is a wily enemy.
“It’s not going to be as simple as
we have infected animals, so let’s treat
them,” Pessier said. “The treatments
we have often don’t work in the first
round. You may have residual infection, so you have to go to a second
round.”