Temperature and duration of exposure drive infection intensity with the amphibian pathogen .

The intensity of a pathogen infection plays a key role in determining how the host responds to infection. Hosts with high infections are more likely to transmit infection to others, and are may be more likely to experience progression from infection to disease symptoms, to being physiologically compromised by disease. Understanding how and why hosts exhibit variation in infection intensity therefore plays a major part in developing and implementing measures aimed at controlling infection spread, its effects, and its chance of persisting and circulating within a population of hosts.

Single infection with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or Ranavirus does not increase probability of co-infection in a montane community of amphibians.

Understanding the occurrence and consequence of co-infections can be useful in designing disease management interventions. Amphibians are the most highly threatened vertebrates, and emerging pathogens are a serious threat to their conservation. The amphibian chytrid fungus and the viruses of the Ranavirus genus are already widely distributed, causing disease outbreaks and population declines worldwide.

Host contribution to parasite persistence is consistent between parasites and over time, but varies spatially.

Most parasites and pathogens infect multiple hosts, but a great deal of variation exists in the role of those hosts in persistence of infection. Understanding which hosts are most important in maintaining parasites can provide a clearer target for infection control. Recently developed empirical and theoretical approaches provide a way to quantify the relative contribution of hosts within a community and place them in a multi-host framework to better direct control efforts.

Seasonal migrations, body temperature fluctuations, and infection dynamics in adult amphibians.

Risks of parasitism vary over time, with infection prevalence often fluctuating with seasonal changes in the annual cycle. Identifying the biological mechanisms underlying seasonality in infection can enable better prediction and prevention of future infection peaks. Obtaining longitudinal data on individual infections and traits across seasons throughout the annual cycle is perhaps the most effective means of achieving this aim, yet few studies have obtained such information for wildlife.