Journal article
EASTERN WATER DRAGONS (PHYSIGNATHUS LESUEURII) ARE NOT IMPORTANT ALTERNATE HOSTS OF THE FROG CHYTRID FUNGUS BATRACHOCHYTRIUM DENDROBATIDIS
Andrea D Phillott, Stephen Garland, Lee F Skerratt
HERPETOLOGICAL CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY | HERPETOLOGICAL CONSERVATION & BIOLOGY | Published : 2009
Abstract
The chytridiomycete fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, causative pathogen of the disease amphibian chytridiomycosis, sometimes occurs on environmental substrates and can grow in vitro on reptile skin. This suggests that susceptible reptiles associated with water bodies may act as both reservoirs of infection and vectors for spread of the disease. We sampled the semi-aquatic Eastern Water Dragon, Physignathus lesueurii, associated with streams and known infected frog populations for B. dendrobatidis. None of the 15 juvenile dragons returned positive results for the pathogen by qPCR assay. This suggests P. lesueurii are not important alternate hosts for B. dendrobatidis and do not act as i..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This study was conducted with approval from the James Cook University Ethics Committee (A1145) and Environmental Protection Agency (WITK04188707). This study was made possible due to funding from the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.