Chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is the most devastating infectious disease in vertebrate history, driving dozens of amphibian species to extinction.
Individual amphibians dying from chytridiomycosis experience progressive deterioration of skin function leading to cardiac failure over days to weeks. The scale of suffering caused by this disease - affecting potentially billions of individual animals globally - is difficult to comprehend. Entire populations have been eliminated, leaving ecosystems without their ecological functions. The role of the pet trade in spreading Bd reflects how individual consumer decisions aggregate to cause catastrophic harm. Biosecurity measures including not releasing pets into the wild and disinfecting equipment between use in different water bodies are practical individual actions that prevent further spread.