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Rethinking the role of invertebrate hosts in the life cycle of the amphibian chytridiomycosis pathogen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2016

CLARISSE M. BETANCOURT-ROMÁN ,
COLIN C. O'NEIL  and
TIMOTHY Y. JAMES
CLARISSE M. BETANCOURT-ROMÁN
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
COLIN C. O'NEIL
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
TIMOTHY Y. JAMES*
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 830 N. University, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

The amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has recently emerged as a primary factor behind declining global amphibian populations. Much about the basic biology of the pathogen is unknown, however, such as its true ecological niche and life cycle. Here we evaluated invertebrates as infection models by inoculating host species that had previously been suggested to be parasitized in laboratory settings: crayfish (Procambarus alleni) and nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans). We found neither negative effects on either host nor evidence of persistent infection despite using higher inoculum loads and more pathogen genotypes than tested in previous studies. In contrast, addition of Bd to C. elegans cultures had a slight positive effect on host growth. Bd DNA was detected on the carapace of 2/34 crayfish 7 weeks post-inoculation, suggesting some means of persistence in the mesocosm. These results question the role of invertebrates as alternative hosts of Bd and their ability to modulate disease dynamics.

Keywords

virulence modelchytridenvironmental reservoirPCR detectionpathogenicity
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 143 , Issue 13 , November 2016 , pp. 1723 - 1729
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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