According to a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal, tadpole samples taken from six countries across six continents tested positive for a parasitic disease caused by "protists". These single-celled microbes are a threat to the frog population worldwide.

According to the data collected in 2008, 32 percent of frog species is under threatened category and the decline rate seen is about 42 percent.

The researchers (from University of Exeter and the Natural History Museum) tested the samples using molecular techniques and concluded that the infectious agent is a distant relative of Perkinsea parasite (common in aquatic animals and algae).

Thomas Richards of Exeter University, who co-led the study, quoted "Global frog populations are suffering serious declines and infectious disease has been shown to be a significant factor. We now need to figure out if this novel microbe causes significant disease and could be contributing to the frog population declines."

This event is referred to as "mass extinction" as the Earth is facing a serious decline in the population of amphibians and other animals at a very rapid rate.

Thus, an immediate action is required to prevent further decline in the amphibians by combating this deadly parasite.