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Originally Posted by frogparty
So Ed, help me out here, chytrid problem was started by african frogs (xenopus?) used in hospitals for pregnancy tests escaping/being released from pet trade,right?
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The honest answer is that this is still conjecture and there is some discussion still occuring on it.. but you have to keep in mind that the introduction of the disease doesn't have to necessarily have to occur via escapes and introductions as waste water is a potential source of infection. There is some disussion and speculation that the disease maybe synergistically working with enviromental contaminents (pesticides and herbicides) to make the amphibians more susceptiable to the disease. (see
Frogblog2: Origin and spread of the frog chytrid :Cornell Mushroom Blog for a good discussion with references.
As one potential example, dumping or running waste water into a garden or outside area..
or a lab flushing thier stuff into the sewage system and having a large rainstorm overload the system causing a discharge of untreated sewage into the waterways.
Ed
