Iridovirus Infection in Chinese Giant Salamanders, China, 2010

To the Editor: The Chinese giant salamander (Andreas davidianus) is one of the world's largest amphibian species and is often referred to as a living fossil.They primarily inhabit drainage basins of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Pearl River in the People's Republic of China (1).Because of habitat loss, pollution, and overharvesting, the population of wild Chinese giant salamanders has dropped sharply (2,3).As a result, the Chinese giant salamander is artifi cially farmed in mesocosms for research and conservation.The mesocosms (ambient temperature <20°C) are maintained primarily in mountainous caves and ditches.During June-October 2010, a high mortality rate was reported in salamanders in ditch mesocosms in Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Henan, reaching an epidemic peak in July.Mortality rate reached 95% in the affected areas.Although bacteria, including Aeromonas hydrophila (4), were isolated from sick salamanders,