Atelopus zeteki, commonly known as the Panamanian golden frog, has been almost completely eradicated due to an epidemic of chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease lethal to amphibians. This frog is believed to be extinct in the wild, but is housed in survival assurance colonies to preserve the species until reintroduction can be safely accomplished. A key defense against both chytridiomycosis and its causative agent Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is the bacteria that inhabit amphibian skin; cutaneous bacteria have been shown to produce antifungal compounds in significant concentrations. This collaborative project aims to inoculate the frogs with anti-Bd bacteria native to Panama, followed by exposure to the fungus, to investigate the effectiveness of bacterial augmentation in this species. Using traditional as well as newly developed sampling techniques, we have performed analysis of amphibian skin in order to identify and quantify antifungal metabolites. We are working to correlate the presence of skin metabolites with both the bacterial species present as well as survival of fungal infection. This work promises to assist in the development of probiotic strategies for amphibian protection.

Antifungal defenses of the Panamanian golden frog: Bacterial augmentation and chemical analysis

248th National Meeting (2014)

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