Thursday, 17 June 2021

A Frog By the Throat

Worryingly, Severe Perkinsea Infection (SPI) has reached the UK (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/16/disease-causing-mass-deaths-frogs-reaches-britain-aoe). SPI was found in tree frog tadpoles, in Surrey (England) aquarium. It had presumably arrived there, via imported stock. SPI causes 95% mortality (producing multiple organ failure) in amphibian tadpoles. It is currently decimating amphibian populations in the US and Central America. This is further bad news for frogs, toads and salamanders, with 1 in 3 species already being threatened by extinction. There is, as yet, no evidence that SPI has reached wild amphibian populations in Europe or the UK. Biosecurity is, however, paramount. This is difficult in a market of enthusiasts.
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