Interaction between temperature and sublethal infection with the amphibian chytrid fungus impacts a susceptible frog species

Title
Interaction between temperature and sublethal infection with the amphibian chytrid fungus impacts a susceptible frog species
Publication Date
2019-01-14
Author(s)
Campbell, Lachlan
Bower, Deborah S
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0188-3290
Email: dbower3@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:dbower3
Clulow, Simon
Stockwell, Michelle
Clulow, John
Mahony, Michael
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1038/s41598-018-35874-7
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/26931
Abstract
The amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is an emerging infectious pathogen present on every continent except Antarctica. It causes the disease chytridiomycosis in a subset of species but does not always result in disease or death for every host. Ambient temperature influences both amphibian metabolism and chytrid pathogenicity, however the interactive effects on host physiology is not well understood. We investigated the sublethal effect of B. dendrobatidis infection on a susceptible host, Litoria aurea to test (1) whether the infection load, metabolic activity, body fat and gonad size differed in L. aurea at either 24 °C or 12 °C ambient temperatures and (2) whether previous Bd infection caused long-term changes to body fat and gonad size. Litoria aurea in 12 °C treatments had higher infection loads of B. dendrobatidis and lower survivorship. Metabolic rate was higher and fat mass was lower in infected individuals and in animals in 24 °C treatments. Male L. aurea previously infected with B. dendrobatidis had smaller testes 5 months-post clearance of infection, an effect likely to translate to fitness costs in wild populations. These experiments demonstrate a physiological cost to sublethal B. dendrobatidis infection, which suggests a reduction in host fitness mediated by temperature in the host's environment regardless of whether infection leads to mortality.
Link
Citation
Scientific Reports, v.9, p. 1-8
ISSN
2045-2322
Pubmed ID
30643160
Start page
1
End page
8
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

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