Remove the chytrid fungus from ponds

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

25%
Certainty

25%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has been found to survive in lake water for seven weeks after introduction (Johnson & Speare 2003). Treatment of the aquatic environment may help to reduce the effect of the disease on amphibians. One potential method is completely drying ponds, as a study found that complete drying of the chytrid fungus resulted in 100% mortality (Johnson et al. 2003).

Johnson M.L., Berger L., Philips L. & Speare R. (2003) Fungicidal effects of chemical disinfectants, UV light, desiccation and heat on the amphibian chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 57, 255–260.

Johnson M. & Speare R. (2003) Survival of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in water: quarantine and disease control implications. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 9, 922–925.

Study locations

Key messages

One before-and-after study in Mallorca found that pond drying and fungicidal treatment of resident midwife toads reduced levels of infection but did not eradicate chytridiomycosis.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A before-and-after study in 2009–2010 of a pond in Mallorca (Lubick 2010) found that drying out the pond and treating resident Mallorcan midwife toads Alytes muletensis with a fungicide reduced the prevalence but did not eradicate chytridiomycosis. All samples from tadpoles came back positive for the chytrid fungus the spring after pond drying and treatment. However, the number of spores detected on each swab was lower than the previous year, suggesting a lower level of infection. Healthy-looking toads were seen breeding in the pond following pond drying and treatment. Over 2,000 toad tadpoles were removed from the pond in March–August 2009. The pond was emptied and left to dry over the summer. Tadpoles were taken to a laboratory and given daily five minute baths in the fungicide itraconazole for one week. They were held in captivity for up to seven months. Once the pond refilled in autumn, tadpoles were released. The following spring tadpoles were swabbed to test for chytridiomycosis.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Lubick N. (2010) Emergency medicine for frogs. Nature, 465, 680-681.

Please cite as:

Smith, R.K., Meredith, H. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Amphibian Conservation. Pages 9-64 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Amphibian Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Use zooplankton to remove zoospores Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Use antifungal skin bacteria or peptides to reduce chytridiomycosis infection Action Link	Unlikely to be beneficial	5	Synopsis Link
Use gloves to handle amphibians Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	4	Synopsis Link