Meeting Abstract
Invasive fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal) are causing mortality events and population declines in amphibians around the world. B. salamandrivorans has not been found in the Americas but is predicted to emerge there given the presence of competent hosts, high volume import pathways, and lack of effective biosecurity measures. Eastern newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) are the most abundant and widespread salamanders in United States with known susceptibility to both fungi. However, little is known about how their current Bd infections will interact with novel Bsal infections. Here, we ran a series of experiments in which we exposed newts to each fungal pathogen, combinations of both fungi, and three Bd isolates to: 1) determine if natural exposure to Bd provides protection against Bsal, 2) quantify the effect of co-infections in newt survival, and 3) examine if resistance responses are general to multiple lineages. We found that co-infections significantly increased mortality, despite that newts were able to clear Bd in less than a month. Unfortunately, exposure to Bd did not offer any protection against Bsal. Our findings will improve the estimates of decline risk for a species that could serve as a potential superspreader of Bsal in North America.
