Evaluation of Strategies for the Decontamination of Equipment for Geomyces destructans, the Causative Agent of the White-Nose Syndrome (WNS)

Shelley, Virginia; Kaiser, Samantha; Shelley, Elizabeth; Williams, Terence H.; Kramer, Marcelo; Haman, Katie; Keel, Kevin; Barton, Hazel A.

doi:10.4311/2011lsc0249

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Pseudogymnoascus destructans is capable of growing saprophytically on a wide variety of substrates (Raudabaugh and Miller 2013;Reynolds and Barton 2014). Our results also suggest that P. destructans may be able to survive outside hibernacula on equipment or clothing (e.g., caving gear) if they are stored in cool dry conditions, and this could increase inadvertent spread to new locations (Shelley et al 2013). However, several differences between the conditions in our study and natural conditions should be noted and could influence the ability of P. destructans to persist.…”

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confidence: 80%

Long-Term Persistence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Causative Agent of White-Nose Syndrome, in the Absence of Bats

et al. 2014

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Wildlife diseases have been implicated in the declines and extinctions of several species. The ability of a pathogen to persist outside its host, existing as an "environmental reservoir", can exacerbate the impact of a disease and increase the likelihood of host extinction. Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome in bats, has been found in cave soil during the summer when hibernating bats had likely been absent for several months. However, whether the pathogen can persist over multiple years in the absence of bats is unknown, and long-term persistence of the pathogen can influence whether hibernacula where bats have been locally extirpated due to disease can be subsequently recolonized. Here, we show that P. destructans is capable of long-term persistence in the laboratory in the absence of bats. We cultured P. destructans from dried agar plates that had been kept at 5°C and low humidity conditions (30-40% RH) for more than 5 years. This suggests that P. destructans can persist in the absence of bats for long periods which may prevent the recolonization of hibernation, sites where bat populations were extirpated. This increases the extinction risk of bats affected by this disease.

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confidence: 80%

Long-Term Persistence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Causative Agent of White-Nose Syndrome, in the Absence of Bats

et al. 2014

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“…At maternity colonies, we conducted emergence counts twice to determine total colony size: once before, and once after the young of the year had become volant. We followed field hygiene protocols in accordance with United States Fish & Wildlife Service WNS Decontamination Guidelines, and individual state recommendations [35]. All research was conducted under protocol number 11-022 approved by the IACUC of Boston University.…”

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host and pathogen ecology drive the seasonal dynamics of a fungal disease, white-nose syndrome

et al. 2015

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Seasonal patterns in pathogen transmission can influence the impact of disease on populations and the speed of spatial spread. Increases in host contact rates or births drive seasonal epidemics in some systems, but other factors may occasionally override these influences. White-nose syndrome, caused by the emerging fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is spreading across North America and threatens several bat species with extinction. We examined patterns and drivers of seasonal transmission of P. destructans by measuring infection prevalence and pathogen loads in six bat species at 30 sites across the eastern United States. Bats became transiently infected in autumn, and transmission spiked in early winter when bats began hibernating. Nearly all bats in six species became infected by late winter when infection intensity peaked. In summer, despite high contact rates and a birth pulse, most bats cleared infections and prevalence dropped to zero. These data suggest the dominant driver of seasonal transmission dynamics was a change in host physiology, specifically hibernation. Our study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to describe the seasonality of transmission in this emerging wildlife disease. The timing of infection and fungal growth resulted in maximal population impacts, but only moderate rates of spatial spread.

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“…While it is impossible to control bat movement and migration, it is possible to limit human activities that could transport the fungus. In states affected by WNS, caves were closed to visitation, while a nationally adopted disinfection protocol against the fungus was developed (40). Initial indications show that these measures may have contributed to the absence of new disease epicenters, particularly in the more vulnerable western United States.…”

Section: Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

White-Nose Syndrome: Human Activity in the Emergence of an Extirpating Mycosis

Reynolds

Barton

2013

Microbiol Spectr

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In winter 2006, the bat population in Howe Cave, in central New York State, USA, contained a number of bats displaying an unusual white substance on their muzzles. The following year, numerous bats in four surrounding caves displayed unusual winter hibernation behavior, including day flying and entrance roosting. A number of bats were found dead and dying, and all demonstrated a white, powdery substance on their muzzles, ears, and wing membranes, which was later identified as the conidia of a previously undescribed fungal pathogen, Geomyces destructans. The growth of the conidia gave infected bats the appearance of having dunked their faces into powdered sugar. The disease was named white-nose syndrome and represents an emerging zoonotic mycosis, likely introduced through human activities, which has led to a precipitous decline in North American bat species.

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Evaluation of Strategies for the Decontamination of Equipment for Geomyces destructans, the Causative Agent of the White-Nose Syndrome (WNS)

Cited by 23 publications

References 28 publications

Long-Term Persistence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Causative Agent of White-Nose Syndrome, in the Absence of Bats

Long-Term Persistence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Causative Agent of White-Nose Syndrome, in the Absence of Bats

Host and pathogen ecology drive the seasonal dynamics of a fungal disease, white-nose syndrome

White-Nose Syndrome: Human Activity in the Emergence of an Extirpating Mycosis

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