Emerging Infectious Diseases and Amphibian Population Declines
Figure 2. Scanning electron micrograph of digital skin of a wild frog (Litoria lesueuri, from Queensland, Australia) that died of cutaneous chytridiomycosis. Many cells within this area of the superficial layer of the epidermis contain mature sporangia, and unopened discharge tubes are visible protruding through infected cells. The skin was fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde, postfixed in 1% osmium tetroxide, dehydrated, critical-point-dried, sputter coated with gold, and examined with a JEOL JSM 840 scanning electron microscope at 5 kV. All specimens are from animals that were naturally infected and died due to chytridiomycosis in montane rain forest regions of Panama and Australia. Bar = 5 µm. Photo courtesy of L. Berger, reprinted with permission from A. Campbell (29).