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1 June 2012 CHLORAMPHENICOL WITH FLUID AND ELECTROLYTE THERAPY CURES TERMINALLY ILL GREEN TREE FROGS (LITORIA CAERULEA) WITH CHYTRIDIOMYCOSIS
Sam Young, Rick Speare, Lee Berger, Lee F Skerratt
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Terminal changes in frogs infected with the amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) include epidermal degeneration leading to inhibited epidermal electrolyte transport, systemic electrolyte disturbances, and asystolic cardiac arrest. There are few reports of successful treatment of chytridiomycosis and none that include curing amphibians with severe disease. Three terminally ill green tree frogs (Litoria caerulea) with heavy Bd infections were cured using a combination of continuous shallow immersion in 20 mg/L chloramphenicol solution for 14 days, parenteral isotonic electrolyte fluid therapy for 6 days, and increased ambient temperature to 28°C for 14 days. All terminally ill frogs recovered rapidly to normal activity levels and appetite within 5 days of commencing treatment. In contrast, five untreated terminally ill L. caerulea with heavy Bd infections died within 24–48 hr of becoming moribund. Subclinical infections in 15 experimentally infected L. caerulea were cured within 28 days by continuous shallow immersion in 20 mg/L chloramphenicol solution without adverse effects. This is the first known report of a clinical treatment protocol for curing terminally ill Bd-infected frogs.

American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
Sam Young, Rick Speare, Lee Berger, and Lee F Skerratt "CHLORAMPHENICOL WITH FLUID AND ELECTROLYTE THERAPY CURES TERMINALLY ILL GREEN TREE FROGS (LITORIA CAERULEA) WITH CHYTRIDIOMYCOSIS," Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 43(2), 330-337, (1 June 2012). https://doi.org/10.1638/2011-0231.1
Received: 25 October 2011; Published: 1 June 2012
KEYWORDS
Amphibian chytrid
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
chloramphenicol
Chytridiomycosis
CURE
treatment
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