Summary: Are Pacific Chorus Frogs Spreading a Deadly Infectious Disease? Episode 14 - by Niki Wilson (Click here to directly access the mp3) (Access the Full Text transcript) Pacific Chorus frogs may be helping to spread a deadly infectious disease responsible for the extinction of over 200 amphibian species world wide. The disease, known as chytridiomycosis, is caused by a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd. The fungus attacks amphibian’s skin, disrupting the absorption of water and important electrolytes like sodium. The condition eventually results in heart failure. Listen to learn more… Niki Wilson is a multi-media science communicator living in Jasper, Alberta. Her articles have appeared in the Jasper Fitzhugh, Canmore’s Highline Magazine and The Wild Lands Advocate. She has produced podcasts for Friends in High Places, and Parks Canada, and has collaborated with the Foothills Research Institute and Parks Canada on several regional public exhibits. In 2009, Wilson was accepted into the Banff Centre Science Communications Program, and has since become an affiliate. She is a member of the Canadian Science Writer’s Association, and holds a Master of Environmental Design Degree in Environmental Science. More of her projects can be found at nikiwilson.com. Tweet with her at: twitter.com/niki_wilson
