Chloramphenicol with fluid and electrolyte therapy cures terminally ill green tree frogs (Litoria caerulea) with chytridiomycosis

Published source details Young S., Speare R., Berger L. & Skerratt L.F. (2012) Chloramphenicol with fluid and electrolyte therapy cures terminally ill green tree frogs (Litoria caerulea) with chytridiomycosis. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 43, 330-337.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

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	Use antibacterial treatment to reduce chytridiomycosis infection Action Link

Use antibacterial treatment to reduce chytridiomycosis infection

A randomized, replicated, controlled study in 2011 in Queensland, Australia (Young et al. 2012) found that treatment of captive green tree frogs Litora caerulea with chloramphenicol solution cured terminal and pre-symptom chytridiomycosis infections. The three terminally infected frogs also received electrolyte fluids and increased ambient temperature from 22 to 28°C. All 18 infected frogs bathed in chloramphenicol solution were clinically normal within 4–5 days and cured by day 13–17. All five terminally infected frogs that did not receive treatment died within 24–48 hours. Treated controls remained uninfected and clinically normal. Frogs were collected from the wild and randomly assigned to treatments. Seventeen frogs experimentally infected with chytridiomycosis and one naturally infected frog received treatment and five infected (one naturally) were controls. Eighteen uninfected frogs were also treated. Treatment was continuous immersion in 20 mg/L chloramphenicol solution for 14 (n = 3) or 28 (n= 15) days. Solutions were changed daily. Three terminally infected frogs also received electrolyte fluids under the skin every eight hours for six days and increased ambient temperature (from 22 to 28°C). Frogs were swabbed for testing every seven days for 34 days and at 102 days.