Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 20 april 2017

Scientists say ‘alien’ fungus threatens European salamanders

FRANK JORDANS mune response that might
Associated Press allow some of the sala-
BERLIN (AP) — Europe’s mander population to sur-
salamanders could be vive and ultimately prevail
decimated by a flesh-eat- against its new foe, which
ing alien species that has has already been detect-
already wreaked havoc ed in 12 populations in the
in some parts of the con- Netherlands, Belgium and
tinent, scientists said in a Germany. Conservationists
study published Wednes- in the United States are al-
day. ready monitoring wetlands
Researchers who exam- for signs of the fungus .
ined the impact of the “For highly susceptible spe-
alien invader — a fungus cies like fire salamanders,
native to Asia — on fire sal- there are no available miti-
amanders in Belgium and gation measures,” Martel
the Netherlands found it to told The Associated Press.
be lethal to the amphibians “Classical measures to con-
and almost impossible to trol animal diseases such as
eradicate. vaccination and repopula-
The study published in the tion will not be successful
journal Nature Research since there is no immunity
provides a drastic warning buildup in these species
to North America, where and eradication of the fun-
the fungus hasn’t yet taken In this Oct. 18, 2016 file photo, a fire salamander perches on a mossy surface near Oberhof, Ger- gus from the ecosystem is
hold. many. Europe’s salamanders could be decimated by an alien invader that has already wreaked unlikely.”
“Prevention of introduc- havoc in some part of the continent, scientists say. In a separate comment
tion is the most important Associated Press published by Nature, Mat-
control measure available fungus, which likely was im- Martel and her colleagues due to their contact with thew C. Fisher, an expert
against the disease,” said ported to Europe by the pet began studying the effect other individuals, prevent- in fungal epidemiology at
An Martel, a scientist at trade — causes skin ulcers, of the fungus in early 2014, ing them from producing Imperial College London
the University of Ghent, Bel- effectively eating the sala- four years after it was first new generations. Further- who wasn’t involved in
gium, who co-authored the mander’s skin and making recorded in Europe. more, researchers found the study, backed the re-
study. it susceptible to secondary Within six months, the pop- the fungus was able to form searchers’ suggestion that
The B. salamandrivorans bacterial infections. ulation of fire salamanders spores with thick walls that the only way to save Eu-
at the site in Robertville, Bel- allowed it to survive for lon- rope’s salamanders may
gium, had shrunk to a tenth ger and spread further, in- be to keep a healthy popu-
of its original size. Two years cluding on the feet of wa- lation in captivity — at least
later less than one percent ter birds. until a cure is found.
of the distinctive yellow- Other amphibian species, “It is currently unclear how
and-black patterned am- including newts and toads, (the fungus) can be com-
phibians had survived, ac- were also susceptible, ei- bated in the wild beyond
cording to the study. ther making them carriers establishing ‘amphibian
Sexually mature salaman- of the fungus or ill them- arks’ to safeguard suscep-
ders appeared to be par- selves. tible species as the infec-
ticularly prone to becom- Finally, infected animals tion marches relentlessly
ing infected with the fungus failed to develop an im- onwards,” said Fisher.q