Killer frog fungus 'spread by trade' (BBC)

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News

The fungus killing frogs around the world comes in several forms, and has almost certainly been distributed by trade in amphibians, research shows.

Scientists led from Imperial College London found three distinct lineages of the chytrid fungus in various nations.

The most widespread and lethal form was probably created by a crossing of two prior forms, they report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Chytrid is now found on every continent and has wiped out a number of species.

Identified just over a decade ago, it kills amphibians by blocking the transfer of vital substances through their skins, eventually causing cardiac arrest.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15624254
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/10/31/1111915108