scholarly journals Exceptional Longevity in Little Brown Bats Still Occurs, despite Presence of White-Nose Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 583-587
Author(s):  
Allen Kurta ◽  
Rodney W. Foster ◽  
Brooke A. Daly ◽  
Ashley K. Wilson ◽  
Robin M. Slider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Fungal Disease ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Exceptional Longevity ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Long Life ◽  
Healthy Males ◽  
Apparently Healthy ◽  
Little Brown Bats

Abstract White-nose syndrome is an introduced fungal disease that has reduced the size of hibernating populations of little brown bats Myotis lucifugus by 90% across much of eastern North America since 2007. Herein, we report the recapture of eight banded little brown bats, all males, with minimum ages of 18.6–25.6 y. The recaptures occurred during winter 2019–2020, at a hibernaculum in Michigan where white-nose syndrome likely has been present since 2013–2014, indicating that these old and apparently healthy males are in their seventh season of exposure to the disease. Hence, our data suggest that a long life in little brown bats and existence of white-nose syndrome are not necessarily incompatible.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Changes in Genetic Diversity in a Population of Myotis lucifugus Affected by White-Nose Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2007-2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Lilley ◽  
Ian W. Wilson ◽  
Kenneth A. Field ◽  
DeeAnn M. Reeder ◽  
Megan E. Vodzak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
North America ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Genetic Resistance ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Evolution Of Resistance

Novel pathogens can cause massive declines in populations, and even extirpation of hosts. But disease can also act as a selective pressure on survivors, driving the evolution of resistance or tolerance. Bat white-nose syndrome (WNS) is a rapidly spreading wildlife disease in North America. The fungus causing the disease invades skin tissues of hibernating bats, resulting in disruption of hibernation behavior, premature energy depletion, and subsequent death. We used whole-genome sequencing to investigate changes in allele frequencies within a population of Myotis lucifugus in eastern North America to search for genetic resistance to WNS. Our results show low FST values within the population across time, i.e., prior to WNS (Pre-WNS) compared to the population that has survived WNS (Post-WNS). However, when dividing the population with a geographical cut-off between the states of Pennsylvania and New York, a sharp increase in values on scaffold GL429776 is evident in the Post-WNS samples. Genes present in the diverged area are associated with thermoregulation and promotion of brown fat production. Thus, although WNS may not have subjected the entire M. lucifugus population to selective pressure, it may have selected for specific alleles in Pennsylvania through decreased gene flow within the population. However, the persistence of remnant sub-populations in the aftermath of WNS is likely due to multiple factors in bat life history.

scholarly journals Genome-wide changes in genetic diversity in a population of Myotis lucifugus affected by white-nose syndrome

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Lilley ◽  
Ian W. Wilson ◽  
Kenneth A. Field ◽  
DeeAnn M. Reeder ◽  
Megan E. Vodzak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
North America ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Genetic Resistance ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Evolution Of Resistance

ABSTRACTNovel pathogens can cause massive declines in populations, and even extirpation of hosts. But disease can also act as a selective pressure on survivors, driving the evolution of resistance or tolerance. Bat white-nose syndrome (WNS) is a rapidly spreading wildlife disease in North America. The fungus causing the disease invades skin tissues of hibernating bats, resulting in disruption of hibernation behavior, premature energy depletion, and subsequent death. We used whole-genome sequencing to investigate changes in allele frequencies within a population of Myotis lucifugus in eastern North America to search for genetic resistance to WNS. Our results show low FST values within the population across time, i.e. prior to WNS (Pre-WNS) compared to the population that has survived WNS (Post-WNS). However, when dividing the population with a geographical cut-off between the states of Pennsylvania and New York, a sharp increase in values on scaffold GL429776 is evident in the Post-WNS samples. Genes present in the diverged area are associated with thermoregulation and promotion of brown fat production. Thus, although WNS may not have subjected the entire M. lucifugus population to selective pressure, it may have selected for specific alleles in Pennsylvania through decreased gene flow within the population. However, the persistence of remnant sub-populations in the aftermath of WNS is likely due to multiple factors in bat life history.

scholarly journals Environmental transmission of Pseudogymnoascus destructans to hibernating little brown bats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan C Hicks ◽  
Scott Darling ◽  
Joel Flewelling ◽  
Ryan von Linden ◽  
Carol U Meteyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Environmental Exposure ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
Environmental Transmission ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Little Brown Bats

Pathogens with persistent environmental stages can have devastating effects on wildlife communities. White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused widespread declines in bat populations of North America. In 2009, during the early stages of the WNS investigation and before molecular techniques had been developed to readily detect P. destructans in environmental samples, we initiated this study to assess whether P. destructans can persist in the hibernaculum environment in the absence of its conclusive bat host and cause infections in naive bats. We transferred little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from an unaffected winter colony in northwest Wisconsin to two P. destructans contaminated hibernacula in Vermont where native bats had been excluded. Infection with P. destructans was apparent on some bats within 8 weeks following the introduction of unexposed bats to these environments, and mortality from WNS was confirmed by histopathology at both sites 14 weeks following introduction. These results indicate that environmental exposure to P. destructans is sufficient to cause the infection and mortality associated with WNS in naive bats, which increases the probability of winter colony extirpation and complicates conservation efforts.

scholarly journals Hepatic lipid signatures of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) at early stages of white-nose syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan L. Pannkuk ◽  
Nicole A. S.-Y. Dorville ◽  
Yvonne A. Dzal ◽  
Quinn E. Fletcher ◽  
Kaleigh J. O. Norquay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Fatty Acid Distribution ◽  
Eptesicus Fuscus ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
Hepatic Lipid ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Big Brown Bats ◽  
Little Brown Bats

AbstractWhite-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent wildlife fungal disease of cave-dwelling, hibernating bats that has led to unprecedented mortalities throughout North America. A primary factor in WNS-associated bat mortality includes increased arousals from torpor and premature fat depletion during winter months. Details of species and sex-specific changes in lipid metabolism during WNS are poorly understood and may play an important role in the pathophysiology of the disease. Given the likely role of fat metabolism in WNS and the fact that the liver plays a crucial role in fatty acid distribution and lipid storage, we assessed hepatic lipid signatures of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) at an early stage of infection with the etiological agent, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Differences in lipid profiles were detected at the species and sex level in the sham-inoculated treatment, most strikingly in higher hepatic triacylglyceride (TG) levels in E. fuscus females compared to males. Interestingly, several dominant TGs (storage lipids) decreased dramatically after Pd infection in both female M. lucifugus and E. fuscus. Increases in hepatic glycerophospholipid (structural lipid) levels were only observed in M. lucifugus, including two phosphatidylcholines (PC [32:1], PC [42:6]) and one phosphatidylglycerol (PG [34:1]). These results suggest that even at early stages of WNS, changes in hepatic lipid mobilization may occur and be species and sex specific. As pre-hibernation lipid reserves may aid in bat persistence and survival during WNS, these early perturbations to lipid metabolism could have important implications for management responses that aid in pre-hibernation fat storage.

Patterns of Acoustical Activity of Bats Prior to and Following White-Nose Syndrome Occurrence

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Mark Ford ◽  
Eric R. Britzke ◽  
Christopher A. Dobony ◽  
Jane L. Rodrigue ◽  
Joshua B. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Little Brown Bats

Abstract White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a wildlife health concern that has decimated cave-hibernating bat populations in eastern North America since 2006, began affecting source-caves for summer bat populations at Fort Drum, a U.S. Army installation in New York in the winter of 2007–2008. As regional die-offs of bats became evident, and Fort Drum's known populations began showing declines, we examined whether WNS-induced change in abundance patterns and seasonal timing of bat activity could be quantified using acoustical surveys, 2003–2010, at structurally uncluttered riparian–water habitats (i.e., streams, ponds, and wet meadows). As predicted, we observed significant declines in overall summer activity between pre-WNS and post-WNS years for little brown bats Myotis lucifugus, northern bats M. septentrionalis, and Indiana bats M. sodalis. We did not observe any significant change in activity patterns between pre-WNS and post-WNS years for big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus, eastern red bats Lasiurus borealis, or the small number of tri-colored bats Perimyotis subflavus. Activity of silver-haired bats Lasionycteris noctivagans increased from pre-WNS to post-WNS years. Activity levels of hoary bats Lasiurus cinereus significantly declined between pre- and post-WNS years. As a nonhibernating, migratory species, hoary bat declines might be correlated with wind-energy development impacts occurring in the same time frame rather than WNS. Intraseason activity patterns also were affected by WNS, though the results were highly variable among species. Little brown bats showed an overall increase in activity from early to late summer pre-WNS, presumably due to detections of newly volant young added to the local population. However, the opposite occurred post-WNS, indicating that reproduction among surviving little brown bats may be declining. Our data suggest that acoustical monitoring during the summer season can provide insights into species' relative abundance on the landscape as affected by the occurrence of WNS.

scholarly journals Genetic Structure of Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) Corresponds with Spread of White-Nose Syndrome among Hibernacula

2014 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Miller-Butterworth ◽  
M. J. Vonhof ◽  
J. Rosenstern ◽  
G. G. Turner ◽  
A. L. Russell
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Little Brown Bats

scholarly journals Mycobiome Traits Associated with Disease Tolerance Predict Many Western North American Bat Species Will Be Susceptible to White-Nose Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen J. Vanderwolf ◽  
Lewis J. Campbell ◽  
Daniel R. Taylor ◽  
Tony L. Goldberg ◽  
David S. Blehert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
North American ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Wildlife Diseases ◽  
Disease Tolerance ◽  
White Nose Syndrome

White-nose syndrome is one of the most devastating wildlife diseases ever documented. Some bat species are resistant to or tolerant of the disease, and we previously reported that certain traits of the skin mycobiome of bat species in eastern North America are strongly associated with resistance to WNS.

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