Genetics reveal effects of deadly frog fungus.

• Position: Amphibians - Brief article

A deadly fungus has decimated certain populations of amphibians globally for the past few decades, but scientists remain unclear about the exact mechanisms that lead to disease. For example, while some species have become threatened or gone extinct, others appear unaffected, or the disease persists at reduced frequencies following an outbreak.

A study at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., teased out the mechanisms at play by examining which genes are turned on and off in the highly susceptible Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki) following infection of the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd).

The researchers found significant changes in thousands of genes of frogs infected with a virulent strain, compared with uninfected (control) frogs and those that had been exposed to less virulent strains of the fungus and survived. At the same time, the fungus also appears to suppress immune genes related to pathogen-fighting T-cells...