Amphibian Ranaviruses: A Brief Overview

Abstract Amphibians are, arguably, the most threatened groups of vertebrates, having declined on a global scale and in some cases been driven to extinction by anthropogenic effects and infectious diseases. Amphibians are affected by various emerging pathogens, including several species from the viral genus Ranavirus (family Iridoviridae ). We briefly review the literature related to amphibian ranaviruses, focusing on their history and emergence, disease presentation, immunology, methods to detect them, their role in co-infections, and ranavirus ecology in the wild.