Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

About Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis:

• It is a fungus that affects the keratin in the skin of amphibians, resulting in chytridiomycosis. 
• It was initially discovered in Queensland, Australia, in the 1990s after several frog species were found dead.
• The fungus is believed to spread through spores discharged into water from amphibian skin.
• A 2019 study published in the journal Science suggests that fungal infection is to blame for the global population reduction of 39 per cent of frog species.
• It is most prevalent in South and Central America, Australia, and North America.
• It causes death suggesting that the fungus disrupts essential functions of the frog skin (uptake of essential ions, respiration).

Q1) What is a Keratin?

Keratin is the type of protein that makes up your hair, skin, and nails. Keratin can also be found in your internal organs and glands. Keratin is a protective protein, less prone to scratching or tearing than other types of cells your body produces.

Source: Explained: The killer fungus wiping out the frog species

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