Two Related Invasive Ranaviruses Hit Six Spanish Amiphibian Species, Collapse Three
Two closely related viruses that have been introduced to northern Spain in recent years have already led to the collapse of three different species of amphibian—the common midwife toad, the common toad, and the alpine newt—in the protected area of Picos de Europa (literally "Peaks of Europe"
National Park. In all, six amphibian species have suffered from severe disease and mass mortality as a result of the outbreak, and researchers who report their findings in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on October 16 say that the viruses appear to be on the move.
Preliminary evidence shows that related ranaviruses are emerging in other parts of Europe, which surely means more bad news for amphibians ahead.
"The capacity of these viruses to infect multiple species means that there is the possibility that some host populations may be extirpated due to infection," says Stephen Price, now of UCL. "Pathogens that can exploit more than one host simultaneously are able to persist even when one host drops to low numbers, and eventually zero, because there is another susceptible host available."
In one instance observed by the researchers, a snake even became sick and died after feeding on an infected amphibian. The viruses in question belong to the family Iridoviridae. They have been known to cause disease in fish and reptiles but have also been noted for their ability to sicken and kill amphibians in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The new study is the first to document the deadly infection striking multiple amphibian species at once with such serious impact.
EDIT
http://phys.org/news/2014-10-amphibian-collapse-viral-outbreak.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
Should be scared about. We are so self centered that we care about a virus that could kill us if we are exposed. But chances are better at winning the lotto at this stage. But a melting and dying planet, there's no such awareness. I'm personally ready for a virus to kill all mankind. Maybe it's our punishment for ignoring climate change for over 40 years. Well deserved I say. And still today we come up with more ways to kill this planet faster. 
