Emerging infectious diseases and amphibian population declines

We review recent research on the pathology, ecology, and biogeography of tw o emerging infectious wildlife diseases, chytridiomycosis and ranaviral dis ease, in the context of host-parasite population biology. We examine the ro le of these diseases in the global decline of amphibian populations and pro pose hypotheses for the origins and impact of these panzootics. Finally, we discuss emerging infectious diseases as a global threat to wildlife popula tions.