| Abstract: | Emerging fungal diseases represent a threat to food security, animal and human health worldwide. Amphibian chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd ), has been associated with catastrophic and well‐documented amphibian population declines and extinctions. For the first time, Bd was cultured from native and non‐native wild amphibians in Chile. Phylogenomic analyses revealed that Chilean isolates AVS2, AVS4 and AVS7 group within the global panzootic lineage of Bd (Bd GPL) in a single highly supported clade that includes a genotype previously isolated from the United Kingdom. Our results extend the known distribution of Bd GPL in South America and suggest a single and relatively recent introduction of Bd GPL into the country, providing additional support to the role of anthropogenic activity in the global spread of this panzootic lineage. |
