Title |
Pathogenic lineage of Perkinsea associated with mass mortality of frogs across the United States
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Published in |
Scientific Reports, August 2017
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DOI | 10.1038/s41598-017-10456-1 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Marcos Isidoro-Ayza, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Daniel A. Grear, Megan Winzeler, Daniel L. Calhoun, William J. Barichivich |
Abstract |
Emerging infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis and ranavirus infections are important contributors to the worldwide decline of amphibian populations. We reviewed data on 247 anuran mortality events in 43 States of the United States from 1999-2015. Our findings suggest that a severe infectious disease of tadpoles caused by a protist belonging to the phylum Perkinsea might represent the third most common infectious disease of anurans after ranavirus infections and chytridiomycosis. Severe Perkinsea infections (SPI) were systemic and led to multiorganic failure and death. The SPI mortality events affected numerous anuran species and occurred over a broad geographic area, from boreal to subtropical habitats. Livers from all PCR-tested SPI-tadpoles (n = 19) were positive for the Novel Alveolate Group 01 (NAG01) of Perkinsea, while only 2.5% histologically normal tadpole livers tested positive (2/81), suggesting that subclinical infections are uncommon. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that SPI is associated with a phylogenetically distinct clade of NAG01 Perkinsea. These data suggest that this virulent Perkinsea clade is an important pathogen of frogs in the United States. Given its association with mortality events and tendency to be overlooked, the potential role of this emerging pathogen in amphibian declines on a broad geographic scale warrants further investigation. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 8 | 16% |
United Kingdom | 7 | 14% |
France | 4 | 8% |
Australia | 4 | 8% |
Canada | 2 | 4% |
Chile | 2 | 4% |
Curaçao | 1 | 2% |
Denmark | 1 | 2% |
Finland | 1 | 2% |
Other | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 18 | 37% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 28 | 57% |
Scientists | 16 | 33% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 4 | 8% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 2% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 70 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 16 | 23% |
Researcher | 14 | 20% |
Student > Bachelor | 8 | 11% |
Student > Master | 6 | 9% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 7% |
Other | 12 | 17% |
Unknown | 9 | 13% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 25 | 36% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 12 | 17% |
Environmental Science | 10 | 14% |
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 5 | 7% |
Unspecified | 1 | 1% |
Other | 3 | 4% |
Unknown | 14 | 20% |