Origin of plague causing ongoing 'amphibian extinction crisis' discovered by scientists

Discovery of 'ground zero' for deadly disease has implications for global biosecurity measures

Josh Gabbatiss Science Correspondent 

5 days ago

The origin of a disease that has torn through the world’s amphibian population has been traced to Korea by a team of scientists.

Chytrid fungus is responsible for a decimation of frogs and salamanders that has been going on for decades and is thought to have eradicated over 100 species.

The disease has been found all over the world, but no one has known where and when it first emerged. 

Now an international research team has traced the deadly fungus to East Asia and has concluded that the global trade in amphibians for exotic pet, medical and food purposes is behind its spread.

“Biologists have known since the 1990s that [chytrid fungus] was behind the decline of many amphibian species, but until now we haven’t been able to identify exactly where it came from,” said Dr Simon O’Hanlon, a researcher at Imperial College London and lead author of the study.

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