Fungal and viral pathogen occurrence in Costa Rican amphibians

Amphibians are declining globally at an unprecedented rate. Disease and climate change are implicated as causes of enigmatic declines. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is an amphibian pathogen prevalent in the Neotropics and is commonly associated with declining populations. Another amphibian pathogen, ranavirus, has not been detected in the nontemperate areas of the Neotropics, but few investigators have sampled for it. We used molecular techniques to test for Bd and ranaviruses in two areas of Costa Rica with a history of amphibian declines. We detected Bd from field-sampled amphibians in Monteverde and Las Cruces, Costa Rica; ranaviruses were not detected in either area. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that Bd was involved in declines at both sites, and provides additional information on its distribution in Costa Rica. Copyright Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.