disease prevalence

A chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Bd) has been a cause of amphibian declines worldwide. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was first detected in New Zealand on an introduced frog species in 1999 and two years later was associated with morbidity in Leiopelma archeyi, one of the three native New Zealand frog species. In this study, we aimed to document the prevalence of Bd in native frog species in New Zealand from 2014–2021.

Early models of directly transmitted wildlife disease focused on rabies transmission as a travelling wave, usually in a homogeneous density of wildlife. Such models of epi-enzootic diseases paid little attention to local-scale disease prevalence. Historical data on bovine tuberculosis (Tb) in cattle indicates that very localised areas can suffer from frequent repeat breakdowns, indicating that some environmental factors might be the cause.