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Evaluating Disease and Immunocompetency in Threatened Hellbenders
- 1. R E BE C C A H A R D M A N U T C V M Evaluating Disease and Immunocompetency in Threatened Hellbenders
- 2. THREATS • Range retraction •Ozark Hellbender rapidly declining • Only one river in Arkansas • Siltation • Runoff • Habitat destruction • Juvenile recruitment? • Disease Photo: Bill Sutton
- 3. OZARK HELLBENDER • Distallimb deformities • Prominent in larger individuals Photo: Bill Sutton
- 4.
- 5. AMPHIBIAN PATHOGENS • Batrachochytriumdendrobatidis (Bd) • Chytrid Fungus • Tropical/ High Elevations • Massive die-offs and extinctions of amphibians • Epidermis; Keratinized areas • Associated with captive hellbender mortalities • Present in wild populations since at least 1969 ( Bodinof et al 2011) • NEW- B. salamandrivorans • Ranavirus • Enveloped ds DNA virus (Iridoviridae) • Die-offs of amphibians, fish, and reptiles • Liver, spleen, kidney and more
- 6. PREVIOUS COLLECTION • Obtaintissue (tail notch) for Ranavirus • Obtain thorough skin swab for Bd • Second swab lesions/toes** • Samples preserved in 70% EtOH
- 7. RESULTS THUS FAR SubspeciesBd Ranavirus 2011 2012 2013 2014 2011 2012 2013 2014 C. a. alleganiensis 18.2 11.8 25 15.4 0.0 3.9 0 0 C. a. bishopi 19.4 12.5 - 0.0 0.0 - 38.2 Percent Infections by Year
- 8. PLAN • Application ofmetagenomics • unidentified pathogens and changes in communities • Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans • Recently finalized assay- results soon • Immune function • AMPs • Antibody production • Challenges against pathogen growth • Wild chytrid characterization • Continued targeted PCR sampling • **Terbinafine implants for headstart?