Ranavirus, sometimes known as ‘red-leg’, causes two forms of disease in amphibians, skin ulcers and internal bleeding. In some populations the virus causes mass mortality followed by population recovery, in others the disease is recurrent with long-term population declines of up to 80% (Teacher et al. 2010). Survival time of the virus outside a host is unknown and so equipment should be disinfected to prevent the spread of the disease.
There is additional literature examining the effectiveness of using a range of disinfectants to kill ranavirus. For example, a study found that chlorhexidine, household bleach and Virkon S, but not potassium permanganate, were effective at inactivating ranavirus when used at certain concentrations (Bryan et al. 2009).
Studies investigating prevention of the spead of chytridiomycosis are discussed in ‘Chytridiomycosis – Use gloves to handle amphibians’ and ‘Chytridiomycosis – Sterilize equipment when moving between amphibian sites’.
Bryan L.K., Baldwin C.A., Gray M.J. & Miller D.L. (2009) Efficacy of select disinfectants at inactivating Ranavirus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 84, 89–94.
Teacher, A.G.F., Cunningham, A.A. & Garner, T.W.J. (2010). Assessing the long-term impact of Ranavirus infection in wild common frog populations. Animal Conservation, 13, 514–522.
