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1. Isolation and maintenance of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans cultures

   https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03488  

   Robinson, KA; Pereira, KE; Bletz, MC; Carter, ED; Gray, MJ; Piovia-Scott, J; Romansic, JM; Woodhams, DC; Fritz-Laylin, L (June 2020, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms)

   null (Ed.)

   Discovered in 2013, the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ) is an emerging amphibian pathogen that causes ulcerative skin lesions and multifocal erosion. A closely related pathogen, B. dendrobatidis ( Bd ), has devastated amphibian populations worldwide, suggesting that Bsal poses a significant threat to global salamander biodiversity. To expedite research into this emerging threat, we seek to standardize protocols across the field so that results of laboratory studies are reproducible and comparable. We have collated data and experience from multiple labs to standardize culturing practices of Bsal . Here we outline common culture practices including a medium for standardized Bsal growth, standard culturing protocols, and a method for isolating Bsal from infected tissue. 

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2. Experimental methodologies can affect pathogenicity of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans infections

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235370  

   Kumar, Rajeev; Malagon, Daniel A.; Carter, Edward Davis; Miller, Debra L.; Bohanon, Markese L.; Cusaac, Joseph Patrick; Peterson, Anna C.; Gray, Matthew J. (September 2020, PLOS ONE)

   Turner, Wendy C. (Ed.)
3. Community-Wide Genotyping of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Ecuadorian Forests

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-025-01716-y  

   Neely, Wesley_J; Moretta-Urdiales, M_D_M; Smart, Utpal; Lynch, Ryan_L; Guayasamin, Juan_Manuel; McCracken, Shawn_F; Rodriguez, David (May 2025, EcoHealth)

   Abstract The amphibian chytrid fungusBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd) is a cosmopolitan pathogen with numerous distinct lineages. The global panzootic lineage (Bd-GPL) is the most widespread and virulent lineage and is responsible for many recorded amphibian declines. Mapping the extent ofBd-GPL and other more established lineages is important for predicting disease dynamics in amphibian communities. Ecuador is the most biodiverse country per unit area for amphibian taxa and, thus, a priority for studies on genotypic diversity ofBd. In this study, we tested skin swab samples collected from 464 individual amphibians across coastal, Andean montane, and Amazonian forests, for the presence of twoBdlineages known to be present in South America: the globally-distributedBd-GPL and the Brazilian-endemicBd-Asia2/Brazil lineage. By using a discriminatory qPCR SNP assay, we found widespread prevalence ofBd-GPL in Ecuador in diverse host taxa. Genotyping efficiency was 36% in this study, meaning that one in every three swabs that tested positive forBdin infection assays were successfully genotyped. Through this study, we provide further support for the presence of a singleBdlineage in this neotropical biodiversity hotspot. 

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4. Batrachochytrium fungi: stealth invaders in amphibian skin

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2021.04.002  

   Rollins-Smith, Louise A.; Le Sage, Emily H. (June 2021, Current Opinion in Microbiology)

   null (Ed.)
5. Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans Can Devour More than Salamanders

   Towe, Anastasia E.; Gray, Matthew J.; Carter, Edward Davis; Wilber, Mark Q.; Ossiboff, Robert J.; Ash, Kurt; Bohanon, Markese; Bajo, Brittany A.; Miller, Debra L. (September 2021, Journal of wildlife diseases)

   null (Ed.)

   Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans is an emerging fungus that is causing salamander declines in Europe. We evaluated whether an invasive frog species (Cuban treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis) that is found in international trade could be an asymptomatic carrier when exposed to zoospore doses known to infect salamanders. We discovered that Cuban treefrogs could be infected with B. salamandrivorans and, surprisingly, that chytridiomycosis developed in animals at the two highest zoospore doses. To fulfill Koch’s postulates, we isolated B. salamandrivorans from infected frogs, exposed eastern newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) to the isolate, and verified infection and disease by histopathology. This experiment represents the first documentation of B. salamandrivorans chytridiomycosis in a frog species and substantially expands the conservation threat and possible mobilization of this pathogen in trade. 

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