Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology
Rapid global expansion of the fungal disease chytridiomycosis into declining and healthy amphibian populations
PLoS Pathogens, Volume 5, No. 5, Article e1000458, Year 2009
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
The fungal disease chytridiomycosis, caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, is enigmatic because it occurs globally in both declining and apparently healthy (non-declining) amphibian populations. This distribution has fueled debate concerning whether, in sites where it has recently been found, the pathogen was introduced or is endemic. In this study, we addressed the molecular population genetics of a global collection of fungal strains from both declining and healthy amphibian populations using DNA sequence variation from 17 nuclear loci and a large fragment from the mitochondrial genome. We found a low rate of DNA polymorphism, with only two sequence alleles detected at each locus, but a high diversity of diploid genotypes. Half of the loci displayed an excess of heterozygous genotypes, consistent with a primarily clonal mode of reproduction. Despite the absence of obvious sex, genotypic diversity was high (44 unique genotypes out of 59 strains). We provide evidence that the observed genotypic variation can be generated by loss of heterozygosity through mitotic recombination. One strain isolated from a bullfrog possessed as much allelic diversity as the entire global sample, suggesting the current epidemic can be traced back to the outbreak of a single clonal lineage. These data are consistent with the current chytridiomycosis epidemic resulting from a novel pathogen undergoing a rapid and recent range expansion. The widespread occurrence of the same lineage in both healthy and declining populations suggests that the outcome of the disease is contingent on environmental factors and host resistance. © 2009 James et al.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC2680619/bin/ppat.1000458.s001.pdf
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC2680619/bin/ppat.1000458.s002.txt
Authors & Co-Authors
James, Timothy Yong
United States, Durham
Duke University
United States, Ann Arbor
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Litvintseva, Anastasia P.
United States, Durham
Duke University Medical Center
Vilgalys, Rytas J.
United States, Durham
Duke University
Morgan, Jess A.T.
Australia, Brisbane
Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
Taylor, John W.
United States, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
Fisher, Matthew C.
United Kingdom, London
Imperial College Faculty of Medicine
Berger, Lee
Australia, Townsville
James Cook University
Weldon, Ché
South Africa, Potchefstroom
North-west University
Du Preez, Louis H.
South Africa, Potchefstroom
North-west University
Longcore, Joyce E.
United States, Orono
University of Maine
Statistics
Citations: 229
Authors: 10
Affiliations: 9
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1000458
ISSN:
15537366
e-ISSN:
15537374
Research Areas
Cancer
Genetics And Genomics
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study