Emergency medicine for frogs

Published source details Lubick N. (2010) Emergency medicine for frogs. Nature, 465, 680-681.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Remove the chytrid fungus from ponds Action Link
	Treat amphibians with chytridiomycosis in the wild or pre-release Action Link
	Use antifungal treatment to reduce chytridiomycosis infection Action Link

Remove the chytrid fungus from ponds

A before-and-after study in 2009–2010 of a pond in Mallorca (Lubick 2010) found that drying out the pond and treating resident Mallorcan midwife toads Alytes muletensis with a fungicide reduced the prevalence but did not eradicate chytridiomycosis. All samples from tadpoles came back positive for the chytrid fungus the spring after pond drying and treatment. However, the number of spores detected on each swab was lower than the previous year, suggesting a lower level of infection. Healthy-looking toads were seen breeding in the pond following pond drying and treatment. Over 2,000 toad tadpoles were removed from the pond in March–August 2009. The pond was emptied and left to dry over the summer. Tadpoles were taken to a laboratory and given daily five minute baths in the fungicide itraconazole for one week. They were held in captivity for up to seven months. Once the pond refilled in autumn, tadpoles were released. The following spring tadpoles were swabbed to test for chytridiomycosis.
Treat amphibians with chytridiomycosis in the wild or pre-release

A before-and-after study in 2009–2010 in a pond in Mallorca (Lubick 2010) found that treating wild midwife toads Alytes muletensis with a fungicide, along with drying out the pond, reduced the prevalence but did not eradicate chytridiomycosis. All samples from tadpoles came back positive for the chytrid fungus the spring after treatment and pond drying. However, the number of spores detected on each swab was lower than the previous year, suggesting a lower level of infection. Healthy-looking toads were seen breeding in the pond following treatment. Over 2,000 toad tadpoles were removed from the pond in March–August 2009. The pond was emptied and left to dry over the summer. Tadpoles were taken to a laboratory and given daily five minute baths in the fungicide itraconazole for one week. They were held in captivity for up to seven months. Once the pond refilled in autumn, tadpoles were released. The following spring tadpoles were swabbed to test for chytridiomycosis.
Use antifungal treatment to reduce chytridiomycosis infection

A before-and-after study in 2009–2010 of a pond in Mallorca (Lubick 2010) found that treating resident Mallorcan midwife toads Alytes muletensis with itraconazole and drying out the pond reduced the prevalence but did not eradicate chytridiomycosis. All samples from tadpoles came back positive for the chytrid fungus the spring after treatment and pond drying. However, the number of spores detected on each swab was lower than the previous year, suggesting a lower level of infection. Healthy-looking toads were seen breeding in the pond following treatment. Over 2,000 toad tadpoles were removed from the pond in March–August 2009. They were taken to a laboratory and completed a week-long treatment of daily five minute baths in itraconazole. Tadpoles were held in captivity for up to seven months. The pond was emptied and left to dry over the summer. Once the pond refilled in autumn, tadpoles were released. The following spring tadpoles were swabbed to test for chytridiomycosis.