Batrachochitrium salamandrivorans in Europe: the Italian contribution to the international mitigation project

Abstract. The European Commission has recently funded the three-year project “Mitigating a new infectious disease in salamanders to counteract a loss of European biodiversity”. The partnership is composed by six European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and United Kingdom coordinated by the University of Ghent (Belgium). The project aims to prevent and possibly mitigate the spread of the “devouring-salamander” fungus Batrachochitrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). This pathogen, an Asian endemic, has recently reached Central Europe and is now spreading in wild populations of salamanders. The main activities of the project are the cross-validation of a rapid diagnostic real-time PCR technique for detecting Bsal in amphibian swabs. Partners are also committed to update the range of Bsal in the wild and to disseminate the threats deriving from the presence of Bsal in Europe. The Italian partner DISTAV of Genova University, has collaborated to cross-validate the real-time PCR technique and is now the reference laboratory in Italy. Finally, the first swabs from Asian salamanders and provided by Italia keepers have been analysed.