Frog dip detects killer fungus
Infection-detecting bath could aid conservation.
7 February 2003
by KENDALL POWELL
More than 30 species of Australian frogs have been infected with Australian
researchers are giving frogs baths. The have developed a dip that detects the
killer fungus largely responsible for the worldwide slump in amphibian numbers.
The mix of water and salts washes a frog's skin in 15 minutes. The solution can
then be tested for the fungus using either antibodies to it that cause a colour
change or a genetic test that amplifies its DNA, facilitating its
identification.
"It is important to identify where the fungus is and to be able to sample frogs
from any location," says Alex Hyatt. His team developed the dip at the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in
Geelong, Australia. "It sounds very simple, but it took a lot of biology to
come up with," says Hyatt. It is not harmful to the animals' skin.

Rest of the article can be found here
http://www.nature.com/nsu/030203/030203-11.html
k30a