&lt;I&gt;Geomyces destructans&lt;/I&gt; sp. nov. associated with bat white-nose syndrome

Gargas, Andrea; Trest, Marie T.; Christensen, Martha; Volk, Thomas; Blehert, David S.

doi:10.5248/108.147

Cited by 312 publications

(249 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…White-nose syndrome (WNS), a highly pathogenic infectious disease caused by the cryophilic fungus Geomyces destructans, has emerged in North American Vespertilionid bats, and is currently spreading [4][5][6][7] throughout the Eastern United States and Canada. WNS was first observed in 2006 in Schoharie County, NY, and within 2 years spread to 15 counties within a B230 km radius 4 .…”

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Spread of white-nose syndrome on a network regulated by geography and climate

et al. 2012

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Wildlife and plant diseases can reduce biodiversity, disrupt ecosystem services and threaten human health. Emerging pathogens have displayed a variety of spatial spread patterns due to differences in host ecology, including diffusive spread from an epicentre (West Nile virus), jump dispersal on a network (foot-and-mouth disease), or a combination of these (Sudden oak death). White-nose syndrome is a highly pathogenic infectious disease of bats currently spreading across North America. Understanding how bat ecology influences this spread is crucial to management of infected and vulnerable populations. Here we show that white-nose syndrome spread is not diffusive but rather mediated by patchily distributed habitat and large-scale gradients in winter climate. Simulations predict rapid expansion and infection of most counties with caves in the contiguous United States by winter 2105-2106. Our findings show the unique pattern of white-nose syndrome spread corresponds to ecological traits of the host and suggest hypotheses for transmission mechanisms acting at the local scale.

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Spread of white-nose syndrome on a network regulated by geography and climate

et al. 2012

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“…WNS appears to alter the arousal patterns of bats during hibernation, depleting the fat reserves crucial for overwinter survival [5]. Many bats affected by WNS emerge from winter hibernacula well before spring, presumably in search of food, which consequently leads to their death [1,3,5].…”

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confidence: 99%

Going, going, gone: the impact of white-nose syndrome on the summer activity of the little brown bat ( Myotis lucifugus )

et al. 2010

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Since its discovery in the winter of 2005 -2006, white-nose syndrome (WNS) has killed over one million little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in the American northeast. Although many studies have reported die-offs of bats at winter hibernacula, it is important to understand how bat mortality linked to WNS at winter hibernacula affects bat activity levels in their summer ranges. In the summer (May-August) of 2007, 2008 and 2009, we recorded echolocation calls to determine bat activity at sites along the Hudson River, NY (within approx. 100 km of where WNS was first reported). We documented a 78 per cent decline in the summer activity of M. lucifugus, coinciding with the arrival and spread of WNS. We suggest that mortality of M. lucifugus in winter hibernacula is reflected by reduced levels of activity in the summer and that WNS affects the entire bat population of an area, and not only individual hibernacula.

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“…The fungus was first discovered at 4 caves during the winter of [2006][2007] in New York State and since then, has spread rapidly to additional caves throughout most of the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states ). The fungus directly associated with WNS, Geomyces destructans Gargas, 2009 (Gargas et al, 2009), is a recently described psychrophilic (cold-loving) species that invades the living tissue of hibernating bats . Even for WNS-affected bats that survive winter, infection with G. destructans can inflict lasting damage to the wing membranes and impair summer foraging (Reichard and Kunz, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body temperature and body mass of hibernating little brown bats Myotis lucifugus in hibernacula affected by white-nose syndrome

Storm

Boyles

2010

Acta Theriol

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Populations of hibernating bats in the northeastern United States are being decimated by Whitenose Syndrome (WNS). Although the ultimate cause of death is unknown, it may be related to the premature depletion of fat reserves. Previous research has suggested the cause of starvation is the namesake white fungus of WNS, Geomyces destructans Blehert and Gargas, 2009. During hibernation, the immune system is suppressed; however, it is possible that some immune function may be maintained by retaining an elevated body temperature (T b ) during hibernation.Although an elevated T b may facilitate an immune response, it also accelerates the depletion of fat stores. We sought to determine if little brown bats Myotis lucifugus Le Conte, 1831 hibernating in WNS-affected hibernacula have an elevated T b and reduced fat stores, relative to bats not affected by WNS. We found that WNS-affected M. lucifugus maintain a slightly, but significantly, higher skin temperature (T skin ), relative to surrounding rock temperature, than do WNS-unaffected Indiana bats M. sodalis Miller and Allen 1928 from Indiana. However, the difference in T skin is very small and we argue that it is unlikely to explain the premature starvation seen in WNS-affected bats. We also report that WNS-affected M. lucifugus weigh significantly less than M. lucifugus from a hibernaculum outside of the WNS region.

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<I>Geomyces destructans</I> sp. nov. associated with bat white-nose syndrome

Cited by 312 publications

References 14 publications

Spread of white-nose syndrome on a network regulated by geography and climate

Spread of white-nose syndrome on a network regulated by geography and climate

Going, going, gone: the impact of white-nose syndrome on the summer activity of the little brown bat ( Myotis lucifugus )

Body temperature and body mass of hibernating little brown bats Myotis lucifugus in hibernacula affected by white-nose syndrome

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