Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Worst Disease Ever Recorded
www.theatlantic.com ^ | Mar 28, 2019 | Ed Yong

Posted on 03/29/2019 6:24:52 AM PDT by Red Badger

A doomsday fungus known as Bd has condemned more species to extinction than any other pathogen.

A century ago, a strain of pandemic flu killed up to 100 million people—5 percent of the world’s population. In 2013, a new mystery illness swept the western coast of North America, causing starfish to disintegrate. In 2015, a big-nosed Asian antelope known as the saiga lost two-thirds of its population—some 200,000 individuals—to what now looks to be a bacterial infection. But none of these devastating infections comes close to the destructive power of Bd—a singularly apocalyptic fungus that’s unrivaled in its ability not only to kill animals, but to delete entire species from existence.

Bd—Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in full—kills frogs and other amphibians by eating away at their skin and triggering fatal heart attacks. It’s often said that the fungus has caused the decline or extinction of 200 amphibian species, but that figure is almost two decades out-of-date. New figures, compiled by a team led by Ben Scheele from the Australian National University, are much worse.

Scheele’s team estimates that the fungus has caused the decline of 501 amphibian species—about 6.5 percent of the known total. Of these, 90 have been wiped out entirely. Another 124 have fallen by more than 90 percent, and their odds of recovery are slim. Never in recorded history has a single disease burned down so much of the tree of life. “It rewrote our understanding of what disease could do to wildlife,” Scheele says.

“It’s a terrifying summary,” says Jodi Rowley from the Australian Museum. “We knew it was bad, but this really confirms how bad. And these are just the declines we know about.”

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; History; Outdoors; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: batrachochytrium; bd; dsj02; fungus; teotwawki
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-60 last
To: dangus

Eventually, there would be no more hosts if it keeps this up, or if any survive, they may not be very forgiving. Even for a fungus, not very smart. My advise would be for it to ease up on this extinction business.


41 posted on 03/29/2019 7:31:20 AM PDT by rightwingcrazy (;-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Just wait for it to jump species into humans.


42 posted on 03/29/2019 7:37:01 AM PDT by bgill (when you badmouth women, you are badmouthing your mama and the good women on FR)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rightwingcrazy

Microbes aren’t “intelligent.” They adapt in ways which are intelligent in some ways. Unfortunately, they adapt only by the absolutely lethal varieties ceasing to exist after they’ve killed off their host. And in this case, their host isn’t a single organism, but an entire order of organisms.


43 posted on 03/29/2019 7:39:54 AM PDT by dangus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: MichaelCorleone

Wasn't it the bird flu that GWB threw several $billions at [ $7.1 billion in 2005]. The last WHO figures I saw (around that time) showed that fewer than 200 had died from it -- worldwide.


44 posted on 03/29/2019 8:00:49 AM PDT by TomGuy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Eccl 10:2

Vaccinating all those toads will cost money!!


45 posted on 03/29/2019 8:03:16 AM PDT by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: PeterPrinciple

“Have we had a movie on that yet? If not, it is coming.”

Limony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events.


46 posted on 03/29/2019 8:05:08 AM PDT by Jewbacca (The residents of Iroquois territory may not determine whether Jews may live in Jerusalem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: TomGuy

Sounds like the effort worked.


47 posted on 03/29/2019 8:05:48 AM PDT by Jewbacca (The residents of Iroquois territory may not determine whether Jews may live in Jerusalem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: dangus

—Microbes aren’t “intelligent.”

Of course not; I was writing allegorically. If anything, “intelligence” resembles the behavior of populations of organisms over long periods of time. Read some of the works of Gerald Edelman, if you have a lot of spare time.


48 posted on 03/29/2019 9:22:03 AM PDT by rightwingcrazy (;-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: DungeonMaster
Today most plants are invasive and poison

You really don't spend much time in the woods, do you?

49 posted on 03/29/2019 9:48:17 AM PDT by backwoods-engineer (Enjoy the decline of the American empire.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: caver

Well, it was air travel and shipping that really did spread the fungus around the world, so yeah, this one we did kind of help along.

Hell, I was impressed that throughout the entire article not a single word was mentioned about global warming though, it’s amazing they didn’t somehow work that into the narrative.


50 posted on 03/29/2019 10:26:02 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: null and void

LOL!


51 posted on 03/29/2019 10:27:37 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger; 2ndreconmarine; Fitzcarraldo; Covenantor; Mother Abigail; EBH; Dog Gone; ...
Infectious Disease - Bd— (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ) fungus
Currently only known to affect amphibians

Bd— (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ) in full—kills frogs and other amphibians by eating away at their skin and triggering fatal heart attacks.
It’s often said that the fungus has caused the decline or extinction of 200 amphibian species,
but that figure is almost two decades out-of-date.

Scheele’s team estimates that the fungus has caused the decline of 501 amphibian species—about 6.5 percent of the known total.
Of these, 90 have been wiped out entirely.
Another 124 have fallen by more than 90 percent, and their odds of recovery are slim.
Never in recorded history has a single disease burned down so much of the tree of life.

At this point of the study, the fungus is known only to affect amphibians due to it's dependency on moisture,
however, what are the chances of the fungus trans-mutating to affect food supply or to infect mammals ?

52 posted on 03/29/2019 10:52:49 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SgtHooper
Vaccinating all those toads will cost money!

Not to mention the labor involved in sticking needles into their little green butts. PETA is gonna be all over this one.

53 posted on 03/29/2019 10:55:45 AM PDT by Billthedrill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: null and void; Fungi; Salamander

I gives up, nully.
Youz Winz Teh Thredd!


54 posted on 03/29/2019 11:08:41 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely t2hose of the author and are subject to change with out notice.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Wally_Kalbacken

#3 “Beto” O’Rouke should not have eaten dirt.


55 posted on 03/29/2019 12:38:43 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (My sister said the only thing that did not was the clock. GE has spare parts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: devane617

Do tell!!! What is terrifying about a nursing home?! Sad probably...Terrifying???


56 posted on 03/29/2019 5:33:34 PM PDT by Trumpet 1 (US Constitution is my guide.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: null and void

I see what you did there. :D


57 posted on 03/29/2019 5:42:29 PM PDT by Salamander (Death makes angels of us all, and give us wings where we once had shoulders, smooth as ravens' claws)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: grey_whiskers; null and void; Fungi

The dude is good, I’ll give him that.

[at first I only saw the ping and was like WTH?]

:D


58 posted on 03/29/2019 5:43:55 PM PDT by Salamander (Death makes angels of us all, and give us wings where we once had shoulders, smooth as ravens' claws)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: Tilted Irish Kilt

Yikes. Thanks for the ping, TIK.


59 posted on 03/30/2019 9:15:02 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: backwoods-engineer
You really don't spend much time in the woods, do you?

I spend a lot of time gardening and taking care of a lawn. If I have one tomato in a square foot I pull 100 weeds out of that foot. But I do LOVE trees bushes and flowers and most plants so....... you win.

60 posted on 03/31/2019 1:53:45 PM PDT by DungeonMaster (...the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world has been crucified to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-60 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson