http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130515174350.htm
According to a recent study, the African Clawed Frog, a frog
originally imported to the US for pregnancy tests, carried a highly infectious
and deadly amphibian disease to the US.
It was long suspected that these frogs carried a fungus
called batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, more commonly referred to as Bd, to the
US. It has been speculated that this fungus has led to over 200 populations of
different species of frogs to decline and in some cases go extinct. A previous
study revealed that the fungus was originally discovered in South Africa, where
the African Clawed Frog originated. The populations of these frogs in the US
have not been tested for this fungus until now.
SF State biologist Vance Vredenburg said that a population
of African Clawed Frogs that was introduced to California was found to be
carrying the fungus. He also adds that these frogs may be responsible for
introducing a deadly, non-native disease to amphibians in the US.
These frogs will ovulate when they are injected with the
urine of a pregnant woman. This is why they were widely exported across the
world between the 1930’s and 1950’s. They were also used for scientific
research and kept as pets. Vredenburg suspects that these frogs are found close
to urban areas because they may have been released by hospitals into the wild
as new methods of pregnancy testing were developed. The reason why these frogs
are so dangerous is the fact that they can carry the disease for a very long
time without dying, which increases the risk of contaminating other species or
individuals.
These frogs are still being imported into the states. Not
for pregnancy tests, but for medical research and basic scientific research.
Eleven states have already banned the importation of these species.
Vredenburg
stated that we must be very careful today with the food and pet trade because
we may potentially be importing diseases that we don’t know about yet.
I chose this article because it relates to what we have
learned about in ESS, regarding invasive species and factors that may lead to
the loss of biodiversity. The conditions in California were perfect for these
frogs. This is why they were able to survive for so long. The fungus they
carried has led to many other species of frog in the California region to go extinct.
This is interesting because it is a modern example of an invasive species,
whereas most examples have happened decades in the past.
Can you elaborate on how the frogs were used as pregnancy tests? I don't really get it...
ReplyDeleteIt really seems like this specie of frogs can begin a serious epidemic. On the other hand, its good that the species are being imported solely based on biological research. Scientist should examine possible ways on how the species can pass on the diseases to humans, or an even worse possibility, how they may pass it on into our food chains.