The susceptibility of amphibians worldwide to SVCV is not known but of particular concern is whether SVCV could act as a potential pathogen in already imperiled amphibian populations. Although the dead salamanders we examined were in good body condition, freezing and thawing of carcasses confounded attempts to observe lesions during histopathological examination. Thus we could not ascertain whether SVCV contributed to mortality or occurred without causing clinical signs or lesions. Indeed, non-lethal or asymptomatic SVCV infections have been documented in some wild and captive fish populations.14, 36 If, however, C. orientalis co-evolved with SVCV and can be infected without apparent detriment, this detection may further implicate Southeast Asia as the region from which this SVCV originated. Under such a scenario, salamanders from other parts of the world could represent potentially naive hosts subject to developing more severe disease upon exposure to this virus.