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Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis  ( Bd ) is a fungus that causes the disease chytridiomycosis and is associated with widespread amphibian declines. Populations vary in their susceptibility to  Bd  infections, and the virulence of the infecting lineage can also vary. Both of these factors may manifest as a differential physiological stress response. In addition, variation in disease susceptibility across amphibian populations may be influenced by immunosuppression caused by chronic stress imposed by environmental factors. Here, we use a non-invasive water-borne hormone technique to assess stress levels (corticosterone) of free-living tadpole populations that are infected by  Bd . We found that corticosterone release rates were higher in infected populations of two species of tadpoles ( Alytes obstetricans  and  A .  muletensis ) than in an uninfected population for both species. The relationship between corticosterone and the intensity of infection differed between species, with only the infected  A. obstetricans  population showing a significant positive correlation. The higher corticosterone release rates found in  A. obstetricans  may be an outcome of infection by a highly virulent lineage of  Bd  ( Bd GPL), whereas  A. muletensis  is infected with a less virulent lineage ( Bd CAPE). These results suggest that different lineages of  Bd  impose different levels of stress on the infected animals, and that this may influence survival. The next step is to determine whether higher corticosterone levels make individuals more susceptible to  Bd  or if  Bd  infections drive the higher corticosterone levels.

A Non-Invasive Stress Assay Shows That Tadpole Populations Infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Have Elevated Corticosterone Levels