Amphibian Skin Microbiota
Amphibian Skin Microbiota - Related Videos
01:27
The Skin Microbiota
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2026
The human skin serves as a complex ecosystem inhabited by a diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. This microbiome plays a critical role in maintaining skin health and defending against pathogenic invaders. The composition of microbial communities varies significantly across different regions of the body, influenced primarily by the local levels of moisture and sebum.Regional Variation in Skin MicrobiotaCutibacterium acnes predominantly colonizes sebaceous...
05:19
Isolation and Identification of Bacterial Strains from Skin of Terrestrial Amphibians
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2025
This is a method for sampling and isolating culturable bacteria from the cutaneous microbiota of European plethodontid salamanders (Speleomantes genus). Here, we present a protocol for sampling salamander skin with swabs and processing them using culturable approaches. We describe sampling, isolation, and establishment of axenic culture with bacterial strain characterization.
11:39
Simultaneous Whole-cell Recordings from Photoreceptors and Second-order Neurons in an Amphibian Retinal Slice Preparation
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Cited by 29 •
2013
We describe the preparation of thin retinal slices from aquatic tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) and explain how we use these slices to study synaptic processing in the retina by obtaining dual whole-cell voltage clamp recordings from photoreceptors and second-order horizontal and bipolar cells.
06:49
Reduced Itraconazole Concentration and Durations Are Successful in Treating Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in Amphibians
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Cited by 18 •
2014
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in amphibians can be eliminated using a reduced concentration (0.0025%) and shorter duration (five minute baths for six days) of itraconazole than is generally used. Less mortality and fewer negative side effects were observed using this modified treatment protocol.
01:15
Assessing the Role of Gut Microbiota in Modulating Hepatitis B Infection in Mice
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2026
Take a control mouse with a normal gut microbiota and an experimental mouse with depleted gut microbiota. The depletion compromises the integrity of the gut barrier.This enables bacteria to translocate through the blood vessel into the liver tissue.Inject both mice with the hepatitis B virus or HBV plasmid to induce an HBV infection in the liver tissue.In the control mouse, the T cell detects an infected liver cell through the interaction of its receptors with viral antigens, and produces...
FAQs
Protection depends on a three-way interaction among resident microorganisms, the skin’s mucus, and amphibian immune defenses. Microbes do not act independently: their relationship with the host can influence how the skin responds to threats, while mucus and immune activity shape the microbial community. This framework helps researchers study health and disease resistance together.
Some skin-associated microorganisms produce antimicrobial substances that inhibit the fungus responsible for chytridiomycosis. This makes microbial chemical activity a possible component of disease resistance, rather than treating the host’s defenses as purely immune-based. Investigating which microbial products suppress the pathogen may clarify why disease outcomes differ and support antimicrobial discovery.
Because these communities are linked not only to host health and disease resistance but also to environmental adaptation. A microbial pattern observed on skin may therefore reflect host–microbe relationships shaped by surroundings, not just infection status. Considering microbial ecology helps researchers interpret how amphibians respond across environmental contexts.
A study can focus on the composition of the microbial community, its interactions with skin mucus and immune defenses, and its ability to inhibit relevant pathogens. Researchers can then connect those observations with host health, disease resistance, or environmental adaptation. This approach keeps community structure and functional effects together rather than treating microbial presence as the only outcome.
In medicine, these communities serve as models for investigating protective microbial communities and immune regulation. Their relationships with the skin and pathogens may help frame probiotic strategies, in which beneficial microbes are considered for protective roles. The value is translational at the research level: amphibians provide biological context for studying how microbial communities could influence infection-related outcomes.
Amphibian skin microbiota can guide research in two linked directions: identifying microbial antimicrobial substances and understanding their relevance to emerging infections. The first direction emphasizes compounds that inhibit pathogens, while the second places those findings within host–microbe and microbial-ecology contexts. Together, they can generate hypotheses for managing infections without reducing protection to a single mechanism.