Potential Distribution of the Amphibian Pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey

OpenAlex İngilizce

Although Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, pathogen for amphibians, has been reported in Anatolia, its geographical distribution, as well as its impact on the amphibians in Turkey, remained obscure. In this study, 62 adult individuals belonging to ten different species (Pelodytes caucasicus, Rana dalmatina, Rana macrocnemis, Bufo bufo, Bufo verrucosissimus, Bufotes variabilis, Hyla savignyi, Pelophylax ridibundus, Ommatotriton ophryticus, and Mertensiella caucasicus) were collected from five wetland habitats in Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. The prevalence and the intensity of B. dendrobatidis infections in all the individuals were investigated by using quantitative Real-time-PCR technique and the presence of B. dendrobatidis infection was reported for the first time in 13 of the 62 individuals collected from 10 amphibian species from Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. The intensity of B. dendrobatidis infection ranged from 403.520 to 534.280 genomic equivalents (GE) was detected. The highest GE between amphibian species were determined in P. caucasicus (534.280 GE) in Uzungöl (Çaykara-Trabzon) and B. bufo (504.00 GE) in Lake Karagöl (Şavşat-Artvin).