Hibernation Activity and the Susceptibility of Southeastern Bats to Pseudogymnoascus Destructans, the Causal Agent of White-nose Syndrome PDF Download

Author: Reilly Tempest Jackson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bats
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Past research in the southeastern United States suggests that bats are regularly leaving hibernacula throughout winter. Of the bats captured during winter outside of cave hibernacula more than 50% of bats were negative for Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the causal agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS). In addition, of the bats we captured that were Pd positive, pathogen load and prevalence varied considerably among species. Episodic activity and foraging during winter raises body temperature, which should activate the immune system, possibly retarding fungal growth, and resulting in repeated low-level exposures to the Pd pathogen that could lead to disease immunity. Although it is established that bats in the southeastern U.S. are active outside cave hibernacula during winter, the possible impacts on susceptibility to infection by Pd and the epizootiology of WNS both within and among species have not been investigated. Differences in winter activity that may account for species-specific differences in WNS disease susceptibility, particularly in more southern latitudes, require further investigation. To investigate these issues, we captured active bats outside of hibernacula for five winters (2012/13, 2013/14, 2015/16, 2016/17, and 2017/18) to track capture rates and dynamics of Pd from initial invasion through establishment in five cavernicolous bat species ranging in Pd susceptibility. Additionally, we monitored the winter activity of four of these bat species throughout the hibernation seasons of 2016/17, 2017/18, and 2018/19 to delineate similarities and differences in winter activity regimes within and among species. We found that capture rates declined starkly in three out of five study species, which were the three species most susceptible to WNS included in my study. Dynamics of Pd shifted as time passed, although species maintained similar levels to susceptibility to Pd from initial invasion into early establishment. Lastly, various characteristics of activity of hibernating bats (i.e. torpor and arousal skin temperatures, torpor bout and arousal frequency, activity length, and activity frequency) in the southeast U.S. varied significantly and could likely explain some variation of susceptibility to Pd observed in target species.

Author: Shie-Liang Hsieh
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811515808
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
This book systemically presents the latest research on lectins, covering all the major topics in the field, including the heterocomplex of lectins and Toll-like receptors, protective versus pathogenic functions in connection with microbial infections, and novel strategies for enhancing host immunity against infectious diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Lectins are a large group of glycan-binding proteins that recognize diverse glycan and non-glycan structures expressed on prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and are vital to cell-cell interactions, the attachment of microbes to host cells, and the recognition and activation of immune responses to exogenous and endogenous danger signals. The composition and structure of microbes are complex and include numerous ‘pathogen-associated molecular patterns’ or ‘damage-associated molecular patterns’. As such, microbes’ interactions with immune cells activate multiple innate immunity receptors and produce distinct inflammatory reactions, which can be protective to contain microbial invasion, or pathogenic to cause tissue damage and shock syndrome in the host. The book shares lessons learned from state-of-the art research in this field, highlights the latest discoveries, and provides insightful discussions on lectin-mediated inflammatory reactions, while also outlining future research directions.

Author: Briana Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bats
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
White-nose syndrome (WNS) causes substantial mortality in certain species of hibernating North American bats. The responsible agent is Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), a fungus which causes physiological complications such as increased arousals and energy depletion during the hibernation season. Tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) and northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) suffer extensive WNS mortality, while gray bats (Myotis grisescens) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are infected, but mortality is rarely observed. It is hypothesized that there is a difference in immune responses and/or hibernation metabolism between these bat species, resulting in this interspecific variation in disease severity. To test these hypotheses, experiments were conducted at both the cellular and whole-bat level. Tricolored bats were infected with Pd and half were treated with an anti-inflammatory to mute any immune response. Data from measurements of torpor energetics did not support the hypothesis, but an immune response was observed in mid-hibernation, based on white blood cell counts. Also, wing tissue fibroblasts from the four species listed above were infected with Pd, and RNA-seq analysis revealed interspecific differences in gene expression in response to Pd. This study could aid in establishing treatment and conservation strategies for North American bats. In addition, a cell culture method has been pioneered that will allow researchers to address a myriad of immunological questions, such as which western bat species might be most susceptible to WNS as it spreads westward.

Author: Thomas Ruf
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 364228678X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 549

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Book Description
This book summarises the newest information on seasonal adaptation in animals. Topics include animal hibernation, daily torpor, thermoregulation, heat production, metabolic depression, biochemical adaptations, neurophysiology and energy balance. The contributors to this book present interdisciplinary research at multiple levels ranging from the molecular to the ecophysiological, as well as evolutionary approaches. The chapters of this book provide original data not published elsewhere, which makes it the most up-to-date, comprehensive source of information on these fields. The book’s subchapters correspond to presentations given at the 14th International Hibernation Symposium in August 2012 in Austria. This is a very successful series of symposia (held every four years since 1959) that attracts leading researchers in the field. Like the past symposia, this meeting – and consequently the book – is aimed not only at hibernation but at covering the full range of animal adaptations to seasonal environments. For the next four years, this book will serve as the cutting-edge reference work for graduate students and scientists active in this field of physiology and ecology. .

Author: Marianne Gagnon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 137

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Book Description
Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife are among the greatest threats to biodiversity. Indeed, when pathogens are introduced into naïve host populations, they can impose novel selective pressures that may cause severe host declines or even extinction. However, disease impacts may vary both within and among host species. Thus, one of the key goals for management is to identify factors that drive variation in host susceptibility to infection, as they may improve our understanding of hosts' potential to develop disease resistance and/or tolerance and inform conservation strategies aimed at facilitating host persistence. For instance, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) - an invasive pathogenic fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats - is highly virulent, has killed millions of bats in North America, and continues to spread at an alarming rate. Yet, the continued persistence of bat colonies in contaminated areas despite initial mass mortality events suggests variation in survival among infected individuals. I thus aimed to better understand intraspecific drivers of variation in bat susceptibility to WNS and their implications for population persistence and management in affected areas. Specifically, my objectives were to: 1) evaluate the extent to which variation in hibernaculum microclimate temperature and humidity affects Pd infection severity and disease progression in affected bats during hibernation, 2) compare how bats from colonies that vary in duration of exposure to Pd and from different age classes behaviorally respond to the infection, and examine how these behavioral changes affect host fitness and 3) model the population dynamics of remnant bat populations to assess the likeliness of persistence and the potential effectiveness of management interventions in affected colonies. I addressed these objectives through field research, experimental infection studies, and demographic modeling of the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus). In my dissertation, I first provide causal evidence of environmentally-driven variation in pathogen growth and infection severity on bats in the field. Both warmer and more humid microclimates contribute to the severity of the infection by promoting the production of conidia, the erosion of wing tissues, and, therefore, the transmission potential and virulence of Pd. I then document potential mechanistic links between Pd-induced behavioral change and host fitness. Higher infection levels, independent of bats' past exposure to Pd or age class, may cause individuals to groom longer, prolong euthermic arousals, accelerate the depletion of fat reserves, and ultimately increase mortality risk. Finally, I predict that populations will face a high risk of extirpation in the next decade or two if no management action is taken, but that interventions such as environmental control of Pd and hibernaculum microclimate manipulation can prevent short-term population collapse in remnant bat populations. Together, these studies provide key, mechanistic insight into the pathology of WNS and the probability of persistence of affected bat colonies, while highlighting the importance of prioritizing winter habitat preservation and enhancement for the conservation of hibernating bats.

Author: Christian C. Voigt
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319252208
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 601

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Book Description
This book focuses on central themes related to the conservation of bats. It details their response to land-use change and management practices, intensified urbanization and roost disturbance and loss. Increasing interactions between humans and bats as a result of hunting, disease relationships, occupation of human dwellings, and conflict over fruit crops are explored in depth. Finally, contributors highlight the roles that taxonomy, conservation networks and conservation psychology have to play in conserving this imperilled but vital taxon. With over 1300 species, bats are the second largest order of mammals, yet as the Anthropocene dawns, bat populations around the world are in decline. Greater understanding of the anthropogenic drivers of this decline and exploration of possible mitigation measures are urgently needed if we are to retain global bat diversity in the coming decades. This book brings together teams of international experts to provide a global review of current understanding and recommend directions for future research and mitigation.

Author: Rick A. Adams
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461473977
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 549

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Book Description
Recent advances in the study of bats have changed the way we understand this illusive group of mammals. This volume consist of 25 chapters and 57 authors from around the globe all writing on the most recent finding on the evolution, ecology and conservation of bats. The chapters in this book are not intended to be exhaustive literature reviews, but instead extended manuscripts that bring new and fresh perspectives. Many chapters consist of previously unpublished data and are repetitive of new insights and understanding in bat evolution, ecology and conservation. All chapters were peer-reviewed and revised by the authors. Many of the chapters are multi-authored to provide comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the topics.

Author: Heimo Mikkola
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 1803550120
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
Bats are widely distributed and vary enormously in their ecology, sociality, and behavior. They offer diverse cultural and economic contributions to human populations, such as ecotourism, guano, medicinal products, religious significance, and vector control, to name a few. Insectivorous bats consume massive quantities of insects and other arthropods, controlling important agricultural pests and potential disease vectors. Bats feeding on nectar help to maintain diversity in forests through the dispersal of seeds and pollen, essential to many plant species with high economic, biological, and cultural value. At the same time, bats are often associated with zoonotic disease risks, a trend that has been magnified by the global COVID-19 pandemic, although no direct infection from bat to human has been demonstrated. Rapid deforestation is also a major contributing factor to new viral emergences. This book suggests that education is a suitable tool to minimize prejudice against bats and a key step to creating a harmonious coexistence between humans and bats. Chapters address such topics as bats in folklore and culture, bat dispersal patterns, bats in ecosystem management, pesticide exposure risks, roost-tier preference, diversity and conservation, and ecology of white-nose syndrome.

Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309314003
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
In the past half century, deadly disease outbreaks caused by novel viruses of animal origin - Nipah virus in Malaysia, Hendra virus in Australia, Hantavirus in the United States, Ebola virus in Africa, along with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), several influenza subtypes, and the SARS (sudden acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) coronaviruses - have underscored the urgency of understanding factors influencing viral disease emergence and spread. Emerging Viral Diseases is the summary of a public workshop hosted in March 2014 to examine factors driving the appearance, establishment, and spread of emerging, re-emerging and novel viral diseases; the global health and economic impacts of recently emerging and novel viral diseases in humans; and the scientific and policy approaches to improving domestic and international capacity to detect and respond to global outbreaks of infectious disease. This report is a record of the presentations and discussion of the event.

Author: Tina L. Cheng
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780355334098
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
Emerging infectious diseases can place severe pressures on wildlife populations, leading to major population declines, local extirpation, and species extinctions. However, variability in disease impacts, existing among species and across a spatial and temporal scale, can help us identify species or populations persisting with disease either via resistance, tolerance, pathogen evasion, or by existing within environmental refugia. Understanding mechanisms leading to host persistence can inform conservation management priorities and strategies. White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is a recently emerged disease caused by the fungal pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), that has led to severe declines in hibernating bat populations in North America. This work examines patterns and mechanisms associated with variability in WNS impacts with implications for the conservation of affected species. My first chapter investigates spatial heterogeneity in initial impacts of Pd spread across half of continental North America. We found that WNS-related impacts were lessened in the southwestern regions of North America, suggesting potential spatial refugia from WNS-related impacts but only for Perimyotis subflavus. We found that annual air surface temperatures driving Pd growth explained, in part, this spatial variation in WNS-related impacts. Despite evidence for lessened WNS-related declines in the southwest, impacts to bat populations are severe throughout North America for most bat species. My second chapter examines colonies of M. lucifugus that have experienced variability in declines over time, persisting potentially due to host-specific responses. Specifically, I investigate if differences in early winter fat reserves could explain survivorship and persistence of M. lucifugus colonies with WNS. We found that bats persisting with WNS in 2016 were significantly fatter than bats colonies sampled during WNS arrival in 2008 and 2009 at four out of our six sampled sites. At another two sites, we found that bats were either fatter in 2008 and 2009 compared to 2016. We used hibernation energetic models to estimate the amount of fat afforded to survival and found that increased fat reserves from bats measured in 2016 could reduce mortality by 65%. These data suggest that increased fat reserves can explain, in part, the persistence of M. lucifugus colonies with WNS. Lastly, my third chapter experimentally investigates one possible cause of variability in WNS impacts, variation host susceptibility via protective bacteria in the skin microbiome. In this chapter, I explore the efficacy of using a probiotic bacterium, harvested from the skin of a species experiencing lessened WNS impacts, Eptesicus fuscus , as a conservation tool applied to a more highly affected bat species, M. lucifugus. We found relative increases in survival for probiotic-treated groups compared to our sham control group. We also found evidence for decreased fungal infection and severity in probiotic-treated groups. Our results suggest that probiotic treatment can reduce incidence of White-nose Syndrome in M. lucifugus although timing of treatment is an important factor. Together, this work finds that variability in spatial, species-specific, and temporal impacts from WNS can inform conservation efforts. Namely, this work suggests that bat conservation should involve a multi-pronged approach that protects colonies where bats are persisting with WNS via habitat restoration, and potentially treating bats for threatened populations not persisting with WNS. Given the continued threat of WNS to bats as it spreads throughout North America, using a variety of tools to combat this disease may be critical to prevent disease-induced extinction and the local extirpation of affected bat species.