Bacteria may be key to saving frogs from deadly fungus

Can naturally occurring bacteria on the skin of some frogs offer protection from chytrid fungus? From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

The chytrid fungus (Bd) has been linked to amphibian decline and even extinction in more than 200 species worldwide. Now, a new report adds to growing evidence that the key to beat this fungus may lie on the skin of some of these amphibians. In a new study, southern leopard frogs (Lithobates sphenocephala) treated with an antibiotic cocktail which eliminated their skin microbes were more likely to be affected by the chytrid fungus, whereas frogs that maintained their normal skin microbes fared better against the fungus.

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