Conclusion:
We demonstrated that rapid and accurate detection of Bd in frog skin
swabs can be accomplished using field extraction and analysis techniques
with a mobile real-time PCR device. The methods applied worked for
presence/ absence detection data of high-quality (swab) samples. The
field-based DNA extraction and qPCR analysis is a promising management
tool to aid in the recovery of declining amphibian species. However,
there are tradeoff between using the rapid in-the-field methods as
traditional lab methods are more sensitive to low quantities of DNA
(Sepulveda et al., 2018). Currently, our methods could not be used for
accurate DNA quantification and should be used cautiously when detecting
low quality DNA samples (i.e. eDNA) especially when the target specimen
is present a low densities. Additionally, scope of operation should be
considered as it may be more cost and time efficient to run high volumes
of samples using lab-based approaches.