Resumo

One of the main factors that produces the decline of amphibian populations is Chytridiomycosis, an emerging disease caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochitryum dendrobatidis. This fungus degrades the keratin present in the stratum corneum and granulosum of the epidermis of adult amphibians and the keratin oral region of tadpoles. Because Colombia is the second most diverse country in the world in amphibian species, the impact of this disease in their populations could be devastating. Currently, there are gaps of information about Chytridiomycosis in Colombia. This disease has only been reported in the State of Valle del Cauca and State of Santander and Cundinamarca using histological techniques. Taking into account that this technique lacks specificity, this study aims to detect the presence of Batrachochitryum dendrobatidis in amphibians located in a submontane tropical rainforest in the Boyacá department of Colombia using Real-Time PCR. We searched for diurnal and nocturnal amphibians sampling in October 2009 and 2010, and in May 2010 using the visual encounter survey method (VES). Each captured amphibian was analyzed by scraping the specimen with a sterile swab in the entire epidermis region. Pathogen detection was performed by Real Time PCR, amplifying a fragment of the 18S highly conserved ribosomal sequence and 5.8S and also using a standard of pure DNA from the Animal Health Laboratory of Australia. We analyzed 13 species of the order Anura belonging to the families Aromobatidae, Bufonidae, Centrolenidae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae and Strabomantidae, one specie of the order Apoda belonging to the family Caeciliidae and one specie of the order Caudata belonging to the family Plethodontidae. Of the 95 samples analyzed, two were positive, demonstrating the presence of Batrachochitryum dendrobatidis and the low number of cases of infected amphibians in the submontane tropical rainforest of the eastern region of Colombia