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A review by kevin_shepherd
Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic by Emily Monosson
4.0
THE FROGS
The fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, (commonly referred to as Bd) was first identified and described in 1999. Since then it has pushed world frog populations to, and sometimes beyond, the brink of extinction. The news is so grim that a recent study published by the Australian National University documents over 90 different amphibian species populations that are already gone. Wiped out. No more.
Bd is a fungal pathogen that sets off a skin disease, chytridiomycosis, which ravages the frog’s skin, disrupting their water/salt balance. Eventually the frogs (also toads, salamanders and other amphibians) succumb to the disease and die by way of heart failure. There is no effective, workable cure. Let me say that again, there is no effective, workable cure.
“In 2019 dozens of scientists . . . wrote of the destruction caused by Bd: “This represents the greatest documented loss of biodiversity attributable to a pathogen.” Before Bd, no one knew any disease could be so bad. Now they know.” (pg 27)
THE TREES
The fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is the reason most of us have never seen a full-grown American chestnut tree.
THE BANANAS
The fungus Fusarium oxysporum is the reason most of us have never laid eyes on a Gros Michel banana. And (it gets worse) the fungus Fusarium odoratissimum is the reason the Cavendish banana, the one we all know and love, may one day be history.
THE BATS
The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans is the reason bat populations are now at a fraction of their pre-pandemic levels. The fungal infection, commonly referred to as white nose syndrome, has hammered bat colonies all across the United States and Canada. In the case of northern long-eared bats and tricolored bats, the losses exceed 90 percent of their population. Population declines of that magnitude are unsustainable and, in some cases, eventual extinctions are inevitable.
HIGH ANXIETY
If reading all that triggered a panic attack, welcome to the club. But all is not yet lost. Emily Monosson, author and purveyor of bad news, offers us a little ray of light at the end of this ominous tunnel. The second half of Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic is all about a path back to a bio-divergent planet. Monosson provides us with a roadmap to resolution. Her concluding chapters (titled Resistance, Diversity, Resurrection, Certification, and Responsibility) are written with scientific reason and measured optimism. This is not an uplifting read but it is, in the end, inspirational.
_________________________________
The Worst Disease Ever Recorded
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/03/bd-frogs-apocalypse-disease/585862/
The fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, (commonly referred to as Bd) was first identified and described in 1999. Since then it has pushed world frog populations to, and sometimes beyond, the brink of extinction. The news is so grim that a recent study published by the Australian National University documents over 90 different amphibian species populations that are already gone. Wiped out. No more.
Bd is a fungal pathogen that sets off a skin disease, chytridiomycosis, which ravages the frog’s skin, disrupting their water/salt balance. Eventually the frogs (also toads, salamanders and other amphibians) succumb to the disease and die by way of heart failure. There is no effective, workable cure. Let me say that again, there is no effective, workable cure.
“In 2019 dozens of scientists . . . wrote of the destruction caused by Bd: “This represents the greatest documented loss of biodiversity attributable to a pathogen.” Before Bd, no one knew any disease could be so bad. Now they know.” (pg 27)
THE TREES
The fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is the reason most of us have never seen a full-grown American chestnut tree.
THE BANANAS
The fungus Fusarium oxysporum is the reason most of us have never laid eyes on a Gros Michel banana. And (it gets worse) the fungus Fusarium odoratissimum is the reason the Cavendish banana, the one we all know and love, may one day be history.
THE BATS
The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans is the reason bat populations are now at a fraction of their pre-pandemic levels. The fungal infection, commonly referred to as white nose syndrome, has hammered bat colonies all across the United States and Canada. In the case of northern long-eared bats and tricolored bats, the losses exceed 90 percent of their population. Population declines of that magnitude are unsustainable and, in some cases, eventual extinctions are inevitable.
HIGH ANXIETY
If reading all that triggered a panic attack, welcome to the club. But all is not yet lost. Emily Monosson, author and purveyor of bad news, offers us a little ray of light at the end of this ominous tunnel. The second half of Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic is all about a path back to a bio-divergent planet. Monosson provides us with a roadmap to resolution. Her concluding chapters (titled Resistance, Diversity, Resurrection, Certification, and Responsibility) are written with scientific reason and measured optimism. This is not an uplifting read but it is, in the end, inspirational.
_________________________________
The Worst Disease Ever Recorded
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/03/bd-frogs-apocalypse-disease/585862/