Viral Discovery Offers Hope Against Destructive Amphibian Fungus

Viral Discovery Offers Hope Against Destructive Amphibian Fungus
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 05, 2024

A newly identified virus might hold the key to combating a deadly fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), that has been decimating frog and toad populations globally. Research at the University of California - Riverside has uncovered a virus that infects Bd, offering a potential method to halt the spread of this devastating disease.

Bd has severely impacted amphibians worldwide, contributing to the decline of more than 500 species and leading to 90 potential extinctions, among them the yellow-legged mountain frogs in the Sierras and the Panamanian golden frog. The discovery, documented in the journal Current Biology, raises hopes for addressing what researchers call a global amphibian pandemic.

The implications of the research extend beyond controlling a fungal pathogen. Amphibians play critical roles in ecosystems, including pest control and serving as indicators of environmental changes. The decline of amphibian populations could have far-reaching ecological impacts.

The discovery was made by Mark Yacoub, a UCR microbiology doctoral student, and Jason Stajich, a microbiology professor, during their research on the population genetics of Bd. Through DNA sequencing, they identified sequences that pointed to a viral genome within Bd. This virus, a single-stranded DNA mycovirus, distinguishes itself from the RNA viruses typically found in fungi.

Not all Bd strains contain the virus, but those that do exhibit different behaviors from non-infected strains, including slower spread due to reduced spore production. The virus's presence in the fungus's genome suggests potential strategies for controlling Bd by engineering the virus to infect additional Bd strains, thereby mitigating the fungus's impact on amphibians.

Further research is focused on understanding how the virus infects the fungus and its effects on fungal virulence. Insights from this research could lead to innovative approaches to protect amphibians from Bd, supporting the recovery of species that have shown some resistance to the fungus.

The study titled "An endogenous DNA virus in an amphibian-killing fungus associated with pathogen genotype and virulence" offers a promising avenue for combating the spread of Bd and preserving vital amphibian populations.