Fungus turns frogs into sexy zombies

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by Plazma Inferno!, Mar 3, 2016.

  1. Plazma Inferno! Ding Ding Ding Ding Administrator

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    The pathogenic fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), causes chytridiomycosis, also known as chytrid fungus disease, which kills amphibians worldwide by destroying their skin, disrupting their immune systems, and causing heart failure. This fungal disease may be spreading by making the mating calls of infected males more attractive to females. The finding—one of the first—to show that the pathogen can alter a species’s reproductive behavior could explain why frogs and related animals continue to disappear across the globe.

    http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/fungus-turns-frogs-sexy-zombies

    While title is fun, this disease isn't. It kills by stopping water being absorbed through the frog's skin, so they dehydrate and die.

    Also, here's peer-reviewed article: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00248-015-0653-0
     

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