Infectious Disease Symposium at SUNY ESF

The Amphibian Ranavirus Project is about to debut its first poster! I will be presenting at the SUNY ESF & SUNY Upstate Medical U Infectious Disease Symposium "From Lab to Lanscape: Integrated Infectious Disease Research", taking place at the SUNY ESF Gateway Building Jan 24 from 8-5. Details can be found HERE.

Submitted abstract:

Emerging infectious diseases have been implicated as contributing factors to recent amphibian population declines. One such disease reaching pandemic status is ranavirus, caused by a group of viruses documented in fish, reptile, and amphibian species on five continents. Mortality rates exceed 90% at the larval stage of many aquatic-breeding amphibian species, including the common frog (Rana temporaria) in the UK, tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) in Western US, and wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) in Northeastern US.

            As part of a long-term wetland restoration ecological study beginning in 2010, The Upper Susquehanna Coalition in collaboration with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry created a network of 71 hydrologically isolated pools incorporating four pre-existing pools at Svend O. Heiberg Memorial Forest in Tully, New York. One target species of the restoration, the wood frog, experienced local die-offs of tadpoles in three pond sites in 2011, and preliminary testing using polymerase chain reaction assay verified the presence of ranavirus in all three sites. Two die-offs of wood frog and green frog tadpoles have since been observed in other sites, with ranavirus confirmation pending.

            To identify environmental and organismal factors influencing susceptibility to ranaviral infection at these sites, we are collecting ongoing data on tadpole populations, environmental conditions, water quality, and ranavirus prevalence both during and between epidemics. We will use general linear models to determine which biotic and/or abiotic variables are most influential in ranavirus outbreaks, to develop a predictive model that can be applied to other landscapes. This will be especially applicable to future wetland restoration endeavors, as the Heiberg system incorporates both natural and constructed ponds and offers a unique opportunity to comparatively analyze disease outbreaks in each.