Diseases Commons^™

The Effect Of Amphibian Host Ecology And Evolution On The Pathogen Dynamics Of Ranavirus, Lauren V. Ash

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Emerging infectious diseases threaten amphibian species around the globe. Ranavirus (Family: Iridoviridae) is associated with the majority of amphibian deaths in North America, with some species exhibiting mass mortality events in short periods of time. In contrast, some amphibian species show the capacity to resist or tolerate infection. Resistant individuals exhibit reduced infection intensity, while tolerant individuals display reduced fitness effects given the infection intensity. My research focused on how amphibian host dynamics at community, population, and individual-level scales relate to the wide variation in Ranavirus prevalence and severity. Through my work, I documented the first reports of Ranavirus in …