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Abstract
The ability to isolate and purify pathogens is important for the study of infectious disease. A protocol for isolating
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (
Bd), a lethal pathogen of amphibians, has been available for over a decade, but the method relies on sacrificing infected animals. We validated a non-lethal protocol for Bd isolation that uses biopsy punches from toe webbing to collect skin samples from live amphibians in remote field locations. We successfully isolated
Bd from the Cascades frog
Rana cascadae and found a positive association between
Bd infection and probability of
Bd growth in culture. Recapture rates of sampled animals suggest that our isolation protocol did not affect frog survival. The ability to collect isolates from live animals will facilitate investigations of the biology of
Bd and enhance amphibian conservation efforts.
Citation
Cook, K.J.; Voyles, J.; Kenny, H.V.; Pope, K.L.; Piovia-Scott, J. 2018. Non-lethal isolation of the fungal pathogen
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (
Bd) from amphibians. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 129(2): 159-164. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03238.
