Through human activity we have spread the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis around the World which is deadly to frogs. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a skin eating fungus that spreads among amphibians extremely fast. When the amphibians are exposed to the fungus their immune cells kill themselves a process which is usual in damaged cells. Further research is needed to find out why this happens so that a vaccine can be developed.
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has been successful in infecting hundreds and hundreds of species and it kills slowly enabling further spread. It has wiped out many species which in turn is changing ecosystems in the Americas, Australia, Africa and Europe.
It would be impossible to remove the fungus and although fungicides can be used for healing this couldn’t be done on a global scale. Halting the trading of amphibians and encouraging captive breeding programs seems to be the way forward for amphibians to survive this pandemic for now.
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