Dynamics of Amphibian Pathogen Detection Using Extended Museum Specimens

Area of Science:

• Wildlife Disease Ecology
• Amphibian Pathology
• Museum Science & Collections

Background:

• Natural history collections are crucial for biodiversity research but underutilized for wildlife disease studies.
• Preserved specimens contain valuable phenotypic and genotypic data, but tissue types vary in pathogen detection suitability.
• Amphibians are susceptible to various pathogens, including Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), Ranavirus (Rv), and Amphibian Perkinsea (Pr).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of different preserved amphibian tissues for detecting multiple wildlife pathogens.
• To compare pathogen detection dynamics across two tissue types (toe clips and liver) and two frog species (Rana catesbeiana and Rana clamitans).

Main Methods:

• Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was employed to screen toe clip and liver tissues from museum specimens.
• Prevalence and intensity of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), Ranavirus (Rv), and Amphibian Perkinsea (Pr) were assessed.
• Infection loads were compared between tissue types and host species.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in pathogen prevalence was observed between Rana catesbeiana and Rana clamitans.
• Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) intensity was higher in Rana clamitans compared to Rana catesbeiana.
• Toe clips showed significantly higher Bd loads and were more effective for Bd detection than liver tissues.
• Ranavirus (Rv) was detected more frequently in liver tissues, though not significantly different.

Conclusions:

• Extended specimen collections are a valuable resource for amphibian disease research.
• Broader tissue sampling during specimen preparation enhances the utility of museum collections for multipathogen detection.
• Toe clips are recommended for Bd detection, while liver may be more suitable for Rv surveillance in amphibian studies.