Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in amphibians from the Po River Delta, Northern Italy

Abstract

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a pathogen infecting amphibians at the global scale and causing their decline, but knowledge of the distribution of this pathogen is far from complete. We sampled amphibians from three species (Hyla intermedia, Rana dalmatina and Pelophylax synklepton esculentus) to evaluate whether B. dendrobatidis infects amphibians in the Po River Delta Natural Park, Northern Italy. We detected the pathogen in one population of P. sk. esculentus (prevalence: 0.33). These findings expand the known distribution of B. dendrobatidis in Italy and add further concern to the conservation of amphibians in this area.