Amphibian deformities and Ribeiroia infection: an emerging helminthiasis

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Johnson, Pieter T. J.; Sutherland, Daniel R.

Source:

Trends in Parasitology, Cell Press and Elsevier Ltd., Volume 19, Issue 8, p.332-335 (2003)

Call Number:

A03JOH02IDUS

URL:

http://www.cell.com/trends/parasitology/abstract/S1471-4922(03)00148-X

Keywords:

amphibian deformities, Anaxyrus boreas, Bufo boreas, digenetic trematode, Hyla regilla, Lithobates pipiens, Lithobates sylvaticus, malformation, northern leopard frog, Pacific treefrog, Pseudacris regilla, Rana pipiens, Rana sylvatica, Ribeiroia, Western Toad, wood frog

Abstract:

Since their widespread appearance in the mid-1990s, malformed amphibians have evoked fear, as well as fascination, within the scientific and public communities. Recent evidence from field and laboratory studies has implicated infection by a digenetic trematode—Ribeiroia ondatrae—as an important cause of such deformities. Ribeiroia spp. have a complex life cycle involving planorbid snails, amphibians, and water birds. Under natural conditions, malformations might promote parasite transmission by increasing the susceptibility of infected amphibians to predation by definitive hosts. However, with respect to the recent outbreak of deformities, the authors here suggest that exogenous agents (e.g., pesticides, nutrient run-off, introduced fishes) might be interacting with Ribeiroia, resulting in elevated infection levels, and the authors highlight the need for studies incorporating multiple stressor dynamics to further explore this problem.