A craze for exotic pet newts has spread a deadly infection from Asia to Europe that could threaten to wipe out native amphibian species unless action is taken, scientists have warned.

One of the creatures most at risk from the fungal disease is the great crested newt.

The skin-eating fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, is believed to have originated in southeast Asia, where indigenous newts and salamanders are immune to its effects. But it is lethal to European and American species, which have evolved no resistance to the disease. Last year researchers learned the fungus was responsible for a mystery outbreak in the Netherlands that killed off 96 per cent of the country’s fire salamanders.

Experts now fear an expanding epidemic that has parallels with the human Ebola crisis.

As with Ebola, the salamander fungus is transmitted by direct contact, and there is a danger of it being exported globally on international flights.

In this case, it is the pet trade that may have to face controls to prevent the infection spreading, say the authors of a new study assessing the threat.

Asian salamanders and newts that could be harbouring the fungus are traded in large numbers around the world.

Matthew Fisher, a member of the team from Imperial College London, said: “This study has shown the threat of importing exotic species without appropriate screening for infectious diseases.”

Expanding epidemic has parallels with the human Ebola crisis

After the ‘chytrid’ fungus emerged in the Netherlands last year, researchers confirmed it only affected salamanders and newts. Other amphibians, such as frogs and toads, were safe from the disease. However, the infection is closely related to another notorious skin fungus, B. dendrobatidis, which has devastated frog populations around the world.

Screening of more than 5,000 amphibians from four different continents suggested the newt disease originated in Asian salamanders millions of years ago, but had only very recently spread to Europe.

Tests for the fungus were carried out on 1,765 amphibian skin samples obtained from pet shops in Europe, London’s Heathrow Airport and a Hong Kong exporter. In addition, 570 samples from other captive amphibians were tested.

The results, published in the journal Science, revealed three positive cases of the disease in specimens of the Asian ‘crocodile newt’ Tylototriton vietnamensis, two of which were imported to Europe in 2010.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.