"California Frogs Once Used for Pregnancy Tests Carry Deadly Fungus"

"Frogs that were imported for pregnancy tests and set loose in California carry a deadly fungus responsible for wiping out vast numbers of amphibians worldwide, scientists have found."



"Populations of African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) have thrived for decades in the state’s drainage ditches and ponds, but their link with the deadly Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus was unverified until a research team from Stanford University and San Francisco State University recently tested museum samples for the fungus.

“Until this report, there had been no conclusive evidence that Xenopus laevis had been carrying the disease,” said Sherril Green, a Stanford veterinarian who was part of the research team."

Geoffrey Mohan reports for the Los Angeles Times May 15, 2013.

Source: LA Times, 05/16/2013