A deadly fungus that has ravaged amphibian populations worldwide probably originated in East Asia, new research suggests.
A study in Science journal supports an idea that the pet trade helped spread killer strains of the chytrid fungus around the globe.
The fungus is a major cause of the devastating declines experienced by frogs, toads, newts and salamanders.
There is no known effective measure for controlling the disease.
The authors of the report highlight the need to tighten biosecurity along country borders, including a potential ban on the trade in amphibians as pets.
The chytrid fungus, known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd, was first identified as a problem in the 1990s, said co-author Dr Simon O'Hanlon, from Imperial College London.=read more
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