Chytridiomycosis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A serious infectious disease of amphibians caused by a chytrid fungus that attacks the skin and has driven many frog species toward extinction
2. An infection by a aquatic fungus that invades the skin of frogs, toads and salamanders, often proving fatal to these amphibians
3. A deadly skin disease affecting amphibians, produced by a waterborne chytrid fungus that disrupts their ability to regulate fluids and breathe

Etymology: Chytridiomycosis is a disease caused by a fungus, and its name is a compound built from two Ancient Greek words. The first part, "chytrid," comes from the Greek "khutrídion," meaning "little pot," a reference to the small pot-shaped structures these fungi form. The second part, "mycosis," comes from "múkēs," meaning "mushroom," the root behind a whole family of modern medical and biological terms for fungal disease and fungi. The name was assembled in modern scientific usage from these classical roots, so the ancient Greeks had no word for the disease itself. Its "-mycosis" ending follows the pattern of other fungal illnesses, while the "chytrid" element names the group of fungi responsible.

Synonyms: chytrid disease, chytrid infection