ARMI Bsal Studies

The USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) has begun a national surveillance monitoring program for a new infectious chytrid fungal pathogen from Asia that is specific to salamanders, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). Bsal has not been reported from North America at this time. Policy makers must decide if banning the importation of salamanders is an appropriate step in mitigating the potential for harm to indigenous North American salamanders, but it is also important to determine if Bsal is already present and to monitor for new introductions of the fungus. To that end, ARMI is requesting that USGS personnel and cooperators submit swabs taken from salamanders with the objective of identifying locations and species of salamanders where Bsal may already be present in the U.S.

For more information, please visit www.salamanderfungus.org.