Science
Introduction of fungus to Mallorca studied
London | September 25, 2008 12:01:13 AM IST
A British led study suggests a deadly fungus that can kill frogs and toads was inadvertently introduced into Mallorca by a captive breeding program. An international team of researchers, led by Imperial College London, found captive Mallorcan midwife toads released into the wild on the Spanish island in 1991 were infected with the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Measures to screen the health of the toads didn't identify the fungus since, at the time, it wasn't known to exist. The chytrid fungus lives in the water and on the skin of host amphibians such as frogs, toads, salamanders and newts, the researchers said. It's caused amphibian population extinctions in Europe, has been found in more than 87 nations and is blamed for rapid amphibian declines in areas including Australia and Central America, pushing some species to extinction. The new study suggests an endangered species of frog from South Africa, Xenopus gilli, housed in the same room as the Mallorcan midwife toads, was responsible for spreading the infection to them. The research that included scientists from Spain and Canada is detailed in the journal Current Biology. (UPI)
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