A disease which originated in the Netherlands and ravaged their salamander population is now posing a grave threat to U.S. and all North and Central American salamanders due to the import pet trade. Scientists are calling for an end to the lizards’ importation as outlined in this month’s edition of  the prestigious journal Science.

North and Central America are home to 45% of the variations of salamanders. These regions are paramount in the salamander world and allowing the contagion to permeate their populations would have the potentil to permanently eradicate some of the species variants say scientists.

The frog fungus causing such devastation in other parts of the world is Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, also known as Bsal, is a chytrid fungus, and a close relative of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd).

Only by quarantining the ports of the Americas can the fungus be controlled from spreading here which means a moratorium on imports is required say the scientist. They are calling on government and industry regulators to impose the necessary restrictions immediately to avoid the plight the northern European nations have seen in their salamander populations.