EFFICACY OF SUBCUTANEOUS IMPLANTS TO PROVIDE CONTINUOUS PLASMA TERBINAFINE IN HELLBENDERS (CRYPTOBRANCHUS ALLEGANIENSI) FOR FUTURE PROPHYLACTIC USE AGAINST CHYTRIDIOMYCOSIS.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is an important fungal pathogen present in wild hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) populations that appears to cause disease during novel exposure and acute stress. Hellbender repatriation efforts are ongoing to combat declining populations, but mortality by chytridiomycosis (disease from Bd) after release has been reported. The goal was to determine whether a safe antifungal agent could be administered and provide prolonged plasma concentrations without repeated handling. A subcutaneous implant impregnated with 24.5 mg of terbinafine was tested in three juvenile eastern hellbenders (C. a. alleganiensis) raised in human care, and plasma terbinafine concentrations were recorded from weekly to biweekly for 141 days. Plasma concentrations were variable, with peak plasma concentrations of 1,610, 112, and 66 ng/ml between 28 and 56 days postimplant. Although all hellbenders achieved plasma concentrations above the published minimum inhibitory concentration for terbinafine against Bd zoospores (63 ng/ml) at several time points, only one individual remained above this threshold for more than two consecutive time intervals. Results show the potential for these implants as a prophylaxis for chytridiomycosis in captive-to-wild hellbender releases. However, further investigation will be needed to determine the plasma concentrations required to achieve prophylaxis in vivo and implant reliability.