TESTING FOR CHYTRID FUNGUS INFECTION IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA CRUSTACEANS

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, chytrid fungi (Chytridiomycota) species known for their lethality in amphibians by chytridiomycosis, were tested for in crayfish (Procambarus alleni and Procambarus fallax) and eastern grass shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus). From 2019 to 2020, these crustaceans were gathered from 21 sites in southeastern Florida and were frozen, dissected, and swabbed with sterile swabs. Samples from the same site were pooled together and sent to the San Diego Zoo Amphibian Lab for TaqMan PCR to verify the presence of chytrid fungi. Excluding the positive control, the results from the TaqMan PCR returned negative for the presence of either chytrid fungi species. This could indicate that these chytrid fungi are not yet present at the sites tested, or that these crayfish and shrimp species do not act as vectors for chytrid fungus in Southeast Florida. Alternatively, chytrid infection may be seasonal in Southeast Florida.