Thursday 23 March 2017

Virus lethal to amphibians is spreading across Portugal




Date: March 13, 2017
Source: Plataforma SINC

A new strain of ranavirus is currently causing mass mortality in several species of amphibian in the Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in continental Portugal. This infectious agent is hypervirulent and also affects fish and reptiles, which complicates the situation, according to a study boasting the collaboration of the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid.

An emerging virus is affecting amphibian populations in Portugal, but this is not the first time amphibians have been a source of worry in the country. In 2009, hundreds of midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) were found dead in Serra da Estrela Natural Park.

A research study published in the journal Scientific Reports raises a new alert on this genus of virus, which has also been discovered in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. As Jaime Bosch, a researcher at the National Museum of Natural Sciences and co-author of the study, explains: "Ranaviruses have been known about for a long time, although in recent years globalisation is setting off mass mortalities throughout the world, and new strains also keep appearing, probably from Asia."

The fact that these viruses also affect fish and reptiles complicates the situation enormously, firstly because they can spread easily and also because of their persistence in the environment, even after amphibians disappear.

"They have probably been infecting amphibian populations in Spain for several decades. In 1992 we discovered what turned out to be the first known case in our country, although at the time we didn't even know exactly which organism caused the problem," the scientist adds.

In autumn 2011, another curious episode of mortality arose in the Serra da Estrela, which not only affected midwife toads but also other species of amphibians in the park. The episode was in contrast to all mortality patterns previously associated with chytridiomycosis on the Iberian Peninsula and Europe.

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