Homemade saunas help frogs fight disease

They're small but tough predators. Green and golden bell frogs, But the species is endangered. Struggling against a tiny threat, a fungus called Kittredge is ravaging some amphibian populations around the world, causing 90 species to go extinct and pushing 500 others into decline. I think it's been one of the most devastating pathogens that Western science has recorded. It interferes with their ability to move water and gases across their skin. That's how they breathe. The one thing Kitra doesn't like Hot temperatures. So a team in Australia tested some artificial hotspots made of bricks and plastic tarp, the kinds you'd find at a hardware store. And not only did it make it warmer, it made it humid. So it was like inside, like a proper sauna. And the frogs loved it, wedging themselves into the warm bricks as often as they pleased. What we found is that if frogs had access to these shelters, their body temperatures were higher and over time they had lower infections. This is a very simple, but very elegant. For those who study amphibian disease, it's a welcome tool in the fight against Kitrin. We need bold measures at this point, right? That single measure is not going to be effective. Across older species, right? So I think we just have to try different things at this point. The fungus is far from the only threat. Humans are still destroying amphibian habitats both on land and water, and that can hurt our own health. We know in other places where frogs have declined, we see increases in human diseases that are vectored by insects. So like malaria, rates can increase, driving home the need for affordable conservation solutions like this to help these animals help themselves. Anand Ram, CBC News, Toronto.