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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #427919
Research Project: Biophotonics - Emerging Imaging Technologies for Food Animal Research

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: Near-infrared spectroscopy as a diagnostic screening tool for lethal chytridfungus in eastern newts

Author
item CHEN, LI-DUNN - Mississippi State University
item CARTER, ED - University Of Tennessee
item URBAN, MERRIE - University Of Tennessee
item MEROLLE, CARMEN - University Of Tennessee
item CHEN, DEVIN - Mississippi State University
item KOUBA, ANDREW - Mississippi State University
item GREY, MATTHEW - University Of Tennessee
item MILLER, DEBRA - University Of Tennessee
item VANCE, CARRIE - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Communications Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/12/2025
Publication Date: 4/17/2025
Citation: Chen, L., Carter, E., Urban, M., Merolle, C., Chen, D., Kouba, A., Grey, M., Miler, D., Vance, C. 2025. Near-infrared spectroscopy as a diagnostic screening tool for lethal chytridfungus in eastern newts. Communications Biology. 8(625). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08025-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08025-8

Interpretive Summary: Using spectroscopy and AI modeling techniques, we can now diagnose disease in real time and non invasive in aquatic species. Historically, it has taken weeks to determining disease outbreaks in aquatic animals such as fish and amphibians, but with portable Biophotonic systems and machine learning for model prediction we can now detect if an animal is diseased and a natural body of water contaminated. Here we build a rapid analysis Near Infrared spectroscopic diagnostic system that detects low and medium levels of a lethal disease called Bsal that can wipe out entire populations of many species of animals.

Technical Abstract: The emergence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) poses an imminent threat to caudate biodiversity worldwide, particularly through anthropogenic-mediated means such as the pet trade. Bsal is a fungal panzootic that has yet to reach the Americas, Africa, and Australia, presenting a significant biosecurity risk to naïve amphibian populations lacking the innate immune defenses necessary for combating invasive pathogens. We explored the capability of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) coupled with predictive modeling as a rapid, non-invasive Bsal screening tool in live caudates. Using eastern newts (Notopthalmus viridescens) as a model species, NIR spectra were collected in tandem with dermal swabs used for confirmatory qPCR analysis. We identified that spectral profiles differed significantly by physical locatio (chin, cloaca, tail, and foot) as well as by Bsal pathogen status (control vs. exposed individuals; p < 0.05). The support vector machine algorithm achieved a mean classification accuracy of 80% and a sensitivity of 92% for discriminating Bsalcontrol (-) from Bsal-exposed (+) individuals. This approach offers a promising method for identifying Bsal-compromised populations, potentially aiding in early detection and mitigation efforts alongside existing techniques.