A frog hailed as a potential new weapon against cancer is under
threat from a fatal skin disease killing off Australia's frog
population. University of Adelaide researcher Mr Michael Tyler said a
new skin disease discovered in the United States last year that
effectively suffocates frogs, was killing the amphibians across
Australia and parts of America. The fungal disease, called
chytridiomycosis, burrows into a frog's skin cells, causing them to
thicken. Because the frog uses its skin as a breathing aid, it is
asphyxiated and dies. Mr Tyler said all species of frog were affected by
the disease, which potentially included the Magnificent Tree Frog -
recently hailed as a new tool against cancer and golden staph. "I
would suspect that the Magnificent Tree Frogs are susceptible to the
disease," Mr Tyler said. Research led by Mr Tyler has identified a
number of peptides - proteins made up of amino acids - that are secreted
through the skin of the Magnificent Tree Frog. It found one of the
peptides was a powerful antibacterial agent against golden staph, a
virulent antibiotic resistant strain of the staph bacteria. Mr Tyler and
Adelaide University chemical professor Mr John Bowie are now working
with the Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre to investigate the
peptides' potential to fight cancer. Mr Tyler said the skin disease
could have the potential to wipe out the entire species of frogs:
"In the rain forests of Australia the disease is being found in
areas where species are becoming extinct and we are beginning to wonder
if the disease is responsible". He said the elimination of species
of frogs could cause major problems for the entire food chain.
"Frogs are the fodder for the animal kingdom. They form an
essential part of the diet of many animals, such as snakes and
birds," he said. "These animals in turn are the essential part
of some other animal's diet and so on." Mr Tyler said it was
impossible to estimate how many frogs had already died from the disease,
but said the frogs were "dying in very high numbers".
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