A silent pandemic has gripped the planet. But, this one has not affected humans, instead, it has targeted the amphibian species and the culprit is a fungus.
Scientists have now discovered a virus that could be the antidote to the pandemic.
The fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or Bd, has been attacking frogs and toads across continents, ravaging their skin and eventually leading to heart failure. This fungus, according to scientists, led to the decline of over 500 amphibian species, and 90 possible extinctions, including yellow-legged mountain frogs and the Panamanian golden frogs.
In a paper published in the journal Current Biology, scientists have revealed the discovery of a virus that infects Bd, and which could be engineered to control the fungal disease.
“Frogs control bad insects, crop pests, and mosquitoes. If their populations all over the world collapse, it could be devastating. They’re also the canary in the coal mine of climate change. As temperatures get warmer, UV light gets stronger, and water quality gets worse, frogs respond to that. If they get wiped out, we lose an important environmental signal,” UCR microbiology doctoral student and paper author Mark Yacoub said.
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