Widespread Bat White-Nose Syndrome Fungus, Northeastern China

Hoyt, Joseph R.; Sun, Keping; Parise, Katy L.; Lu, Guanjun; Langwig, Kate E.; Jiang, Tinglei; Yang, Shichao; Frick, Winifred F.; Kilpatrick, A. Marm; Foster, Jeffrey T.; Feng, Jiang

doi:10.3201/eid2201.151314

Cited by 53 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Thus, extremely low detection of P. destructans on exposed, tolerant hosts, and the absence of conidia or cupping erosions detected during histopathological examination implies potential inhibition of pathogen activity. Tolerant hosts may not need to mount an immune response if they are able to repress P. destructans growth and pathogenicity, which could potentially be accomplished through secreted skin proteins or through the secretions of commensal bacteria (Hoyt et al., 2015, 2016a,b). We note that our results suggest potential mechanisms of resistance as well as tolerance, because we did not observe pathogen loads on M. myotis comparable to those seen on M. lucifugus exposed following the same protocol (Supporting information).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wild M. myotis do often develop mild symptoms of WNS, although disease prevalence may vary among regions (Hoyt et al., 2016a,b; Wibbelt et al., 2010; Zukal et al., 2016). It is not yet clear what drives this variation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interspecific variation in the initial response of bats to P. destructans could be directly tested by sampling resistant and susceptible bats shortly after exposure, prior to the development of clinical WNS. Such comparisons would ideally include North American species such as Eptesicus fuscus or Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus that may be more tolerant or resistant to infection with P. destructans (Frank et al., 2014; Hoyt et al., 2016a,b). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Comparative transcriptomics can disentangle environmental effects on disease outcomes (e.g., Hoyt et al., 2016a,b; Langwig et al., 2012) from effects mediated by context‐specific host and pathogen responses to infection (Brown et al., 2003; Poorten & Rosenblum, 2016). Appreciating the importance of context and evolutionary history in host–pathogen interactions is critical to our ability to mitigate impacts of emerging infectious diseases on biodiversity, human health, agricultural systems, and ecosystem services (Enguita et al., 2016; Jones et al., [Link]; Smith, Sax, & Lafferty, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to the North American situation, European and Asian bats exhibit mild symptoms or remain asymptomatic following exposure to P. destructans , and no WNS‐related mass mortality has been documented on either continent (Hoyt et al., 2016a,b; Wibbelt et al., 2010; Zukal et al., 2016). These outcomes may reflect tolerance (the host experiences pathogen loads comparable to those of susceptible species, but does not exhibit severe disease symptoms), or resistance (the host exhibits significantly lower pathogen loads compared to susceptible species).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The other white‐nose syndrome transcriptome: Tolerant and susceptible hosts respond differently to the pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans

Davy

Donaldson

Willis

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Mitigation of emerging infectious diseases that threaten global biodiversity requires an understanding of critical host and pathogen responses to infection. For multihost pathogens where pathogen virulence or host susceptibility is variable, host–pathogen interactions in tolerant species may identify potential avenues for adaptive evolution in recently exposed, susceptible hosts. For example, the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans causes white‐nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats and is responsible for catastrophic declines in some species in North America, where it was recently introduced. Bats in Europe and Asia, where the pathogen is endemic, are only mildly affected. Different environmental conditions among Nearctic and Palearctic hibernacula have been proposed as an explanation for variable disease outcomes, but this hypothesis has not been experimentally tested. We report the first controlled, experimental investigation of response to P. destructans in a tolerant, European species of bat (the greater mouse‐eared bat, Myotis myotis). We compared body condition, disease outcomes and gene expression in control (sham‐exposed) and exposed M. myotis that hibernated under controlled environmental conditions following treatment. Tolerant M. myotis experienced extremely limited fungal growth and did not exhibit symptoms of WNS. However, we detected no differential expression of genes associated with immune response in exposed bats, indicating that immune response does not drive tolerance of P. destructans in late hibernation. Variable responses to P. destructans among bat species cannot be attributed solely to environmental or ecological factors. Instead, our results implicate coevolution with the pathogen, and highlight the dynamic nature of the “white‐nose syndrome transcriptome.” Interspecific variation in response to exposure by the host (and possibly pathogen) emphasizes the importance of context in studies of the bat‐WNS system, and robust characterization of genetic responses to exposure in various hosts and the pathogen should precede any attempts to use particular bat species as generalizable “model hosts.”

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The other white‐nose syndrome transcriptome: Tolerant and susceptible hosts respond differently to the pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans

Davy

Donaldson

Willis

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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show abstract

White‐nose Syndrome and Bats

2017

Bats and Human Health

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Winter behavior of bats and the progression of white‐nose syndrome in the southeastern United States

Bernard

McCracken

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding the winter behavior of bats in temperate North America can provide insight into how bats react to perturbations caused by natural disturbances such as weather, human‐induced disturbances, or the introduction of disease. This study measured the activity patterns of bats outside of their hibernaculum and asked how this winter activity varied by time, temperature, bat species, body condition, and WNS status. Over the course of three winters (2011–2013), we collected acoustic data and captured bats outside of five hibernacula in Tennessee, United States. During this time, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of white‐nose syndrome, became established in hibernacula throughout the region, allowing us to track disease‐related changes in the winter behavior of ten bat species. We determined that bats in the southeastern United States were active during winter regardless of disease. We recorded activity outside of hibernacula at temperatures as low as −13°C. Although bat activity was best determined by a combination of variables, the strongest factor was mean daily temperature (R 2 = .2879, F 1,1450 = 586.2, p < .0001). Bats that left the hibernacula earlier in evening had lower body condition than those that left 2–4 hr after sunset (F 7,932 = 7.225, p < .0001, Tukey HSD, p < .05). The number of daytime emergences from hibernacula, as determined via acoustic detection, increased the longer a site was P. destructans positive (F 3,17 808 = 124.48, p < .0001, Tukey HSD, p < .05). Through the use of passive acoustic monitoring and monthly captures, we determined that winter activity was driven by both ambient temperature and the presence of P. destructans.

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Widespread Bat White-Nose Syndrome Fungus, Northeastern China

Cited by 53 publications

References 10 publications

The other white‐nose syndrome transcriptome: Tolerant and susceptible hosts respond differently to the pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans

The other white‐nose syndrome transcriptome: Tolerant and susceptible hosts respond differently to the pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans

White‐nose Syndrome and Bats

Winter behavior of bats and the progression of white‐nose syndrome in the southeastern United States

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