Inhibitory Bacterial Diversity and Mucosome Function Differentiate Susceptibility of Appalachian Salamanders to Chytrid Fungal Infection
Randall R. Jiménez, Amy Carfagno, Luke Linhoff, Brian Gratwicke, Douglas C. Woodhams, Liana Chafran, Molly C. Bletz, Barney Bishop, Carly R. Muletz‐Wolz
Abstract
How host mucosal defenses interact, and influence disease outcome is critical in understanding host defenses against pathogens. A more detailed understanding is needed of the interactions between the host and the functioning of its mucosal defenses in pathogen defense. This study investigates the variability of chytrid susceptibility in salamanders and the innate defenses each species possesses to mediate pathogens, thus advancing the knowledge toward a deeper understanding of the microbial ecology of skin-associated bacteria and contributing to the development of bioaugmentation strategies to mediate pathogen infection and disease. This study improves the understanding of complex immune defense mechanisms in salamanders and highlights the potential role of the mucosome to reduce the probability of Bd disease development and that putative protective bacteria may reduce likelihood of Bd infecting skin.