The battle of finding solutions to confront Batrachochytrium pathogens that are globally wreaking havoc on numerous frogs and salamanders is a priority for many researchers around the world; Skin probiotics are one potential tool in our toolshed to fight these pathogens that cause the devastating disease, chytridiomycosis. A research frontier begun over a decade ago by Dr. Reid Harris, is continued by a consortium of researchers including Doug Woodhams, Matt Becker, and Molly Bletz working to uncover the links between amphibian microbiomes and both Bd and Bsal, and to harness the microbiome to mitigate disease by augmenting naturally-occurring anti-Batrachochytrium microbes on amphibian skin. In a recent article published in PNAS’s, Front Matter, Amy McDermott captures the promise and challenges in the past, present and future of this new conservation frontier [LINK TO ARTICLE].
