Current status of fungal and viral infections of the Peaks of Otter salamander and sympatric amphibians in Central Virginia

Current status of fungal and viral infections of the Peaks of Otter salamander and sympatric amphibians in Central Virginia

Poster - Basic

Salamanders use their skin for several vital functions such as respiration, absorption, osmoregulation, and thermoregulation. This makes them very susceptible to pathogens that affect the skin. The cutaneous fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), as well as the viral pathogen ranavirus are all contributors to salamander declines worldwide. Prevalence for each of these pathogens varies across the United States. This study aims to determine the prevalence of these pathogens in salamanders across several sites in the Peaks of Otter area of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The main objective of the study is to assess the health of the Peaks of Otter salamander, an endemic species for which no disease survey has been published. To complete our objectives, a quantitative PCR assay was used to detect the presence of pathogens in samples (n=299) collected from 10 salamander species at 10 sites. Bsal was not detected and an extremely low prevalence of Bd (6%) was detected among all samples. Of the 176 Peaks of Otter salamanders, Bd was only detected on two individuals. Future work will determine the prevalence of ranavirus. Based on these data, Bd is present but may not impact the health of salamanders in our study area. These results will act as a reference for future monitoring of the Peaks of Otter salamander communities and can better inform conservationists about the health of the surrounding aquatic ecosystems.