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Scientists uncover mystery of how frog plague kills its victims Jeremy Hance mongabay.com October 22, 2009 First discovered in 1998, chytridiomycosis has left scientists baffled as to how it kills frogs, which in turn leaves them guessing as to how to stop the plague. However, the quest to halt chytridiomycosis in its tracks has received a boost this week. A new study in Science is the first to identify how the disease attacks and kills frogs, bringing scientists one step closer to a cure.
By studying green tree frogs with the disease Voyles and her colleagues were able to see the electrolyte transport across the skin was hindered by over 50 percent, while sodium was reduced by 20 percent and potassium, 50 percent. To test that it was in fact electrolytes that was causing the heart failure, Voyles and her team gave an electrolyte supplement to a portion of the frogs. Individuals given the supplement were able to move slightly and survived 20 hours longer than the infected frogs lacking the supplement. The research team says that future studies should look into how the disease disrupts the frogs' osmoregualtion, which is the mechanism that ensures the individual's electrolytes remain balanced. Citation: Jamie Voyles, Sam Young, Lee Berger, Craig Campbell, Wyatt F. Voyles, Anuwat Dinudom, David Cook, Rebecca Webb, Ross A. Alford, Lee F. Skerratt, Rick Speare. "Pathogenesis of Chytridiomycosis, a Cause of Catastrophic Amphibian Declines". Science. Vol 326. October 23 2009. Related articles Save the frogs, save ourselves 
(09/04/2009) Amphibians are going extinct around the globe. As a scientist specializing in frogs, I have watched dozens of species of these creatures die out. The extinction of frogs and salamanders might seem unimportant, but the reality couldn't be farther from the truth. Indeed, from regulating their local ecosystems, to consuming and controlling the population of mosquitoes and other insects that spread disease, to potentially pointing the way to new drugs for fighting diseases such as cancer or HIV-AIDS, the fate of these creatures is inexorably linked to our own.
Amphibians could develop immunity against devastating fungal disease (04/03/2009) The fungal disease chytridiomycosis has ravaged amphibian populations, including contributing to several extinctions. But new research may bring some hope for currently threatened amphibians. Lack of information may slow conservation response to amphibian crisis (12/01/2008) The Neotropics harbor between 30-50% of the world's reptiles and amphibians, but dramatic declines in both groups have been observed over recent decades. While a number of factors have been cited, many of the causes of reptile and amphibian declines are still poorly understood. The situation is paralleled by a lack of information of the natural history, ecology, and behavior of many species.
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