Magnitude of the US trade in amphibians and presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ranavirus infection in imported North American bullfrogs ( Rana catesbeiana)

• Published in: Biological conservation Vol. 142; no. 7; pp. 1420 - 1426
• Main Authors: Schloegel, Lisa M., Picco, Angela M., Kilpatrick, A. Marm, Davies, Angela J., Hyatt, Alex D., Daszak, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2009; Kidlington, Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Amphibia. Reptilia; Amphibian declines; amphibians; animal pathogenic fungi; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Biological and medical sciences; Chytridiomycosis; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; disease prevalence; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; imports; international trade; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; polymerase chain reaction; Rana catesbeiana; Ranavirus; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; wildlife diseases; Wildlife trade; United States; California; North America; America; USA, New York; USA, California, Los Angeles; USA, California, San Francisco; Wildlife trade; Ranavirus; Chytridiomycosis; Amphibian declines; Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Amphibia; Salientia; Wild life; Population decline; Fungi; Infection; Vertebrata; Chytridiomycota; Ranidae; Rana catesbeiana; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0006-3207; 1873-2917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.02.007

Amphibians are globally threatened by anthropogenic habitat loss, the wildlife trade and emerging diseases. Previous authors have hypothesized that the spread of the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis (
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and amphibian ranaviruses are associated with the international trade in live amphibians
. The North American bullfrog (
Rana catesbeiana) is thought to be a carrier of these pathogens, is globally traded as a live commodity, and is sold live in US markets. We obtained importation data for all live amphibians, and parts thereof, into three major US ports of entry (Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York) from 2000 to 2005. Importation of live amphibians into these ports totaled almost 28 million individuals over this 6-year period. We collected samples from freshly-imported market frogs and found infection with both pathogens in all three cities and all seasons, with an overall infection prevalence of 62% (306/493) and 8.5% (50/588) for
B. dendrobatidis and ranaviruses, respectively, by PCR. This study definitively identifies these two important pathogens in recently imported live market frogs and suggests that the amphibian trade can contribute to introductions of these pathogens into new regions. It provides support for the recent listing of
B. dendrobatidis and ranaviral diseases by the OIE, and provides evidence for measures to be taken to eradicate these pathogens from the trade.