Abstract
Host traits and phylogeny can determine infection risk by driving pathogen transmission and its ability to infect new hosts. Predicting such risks is critical when designing disease mitigation strategies, and especially as regards wildlife, where intensive management is often advocated or prevented by economic and/or practical reasons. We investigated Pseudogymnoascus [Geomyces] destructans infection, the cause of white-nose syndrome (WNS), in relation to chiropteran ecology, behaviour and phylogenetics. While this fungus has caused devastating declines in North American bat populations, there have been no apparent population changes attributable to the disease in Europe. We screened 276 bats of 15 species from hibernacula in the Czech Republic over 2012 and 2013, and provided histopathological evidence for 11 European species positive for WNS. With the exception of Myotis myotis, the other ten species are all new reports for WNS in Europe. Of these, M. emarginatus, Eptesicus nilssonii, Rhinolophus hipposideros, Barbastella barbastellus and Plecotus auritus are new to the list of P. destructans-infected bat species. While the infected species are all statistically phylogenetically related, WNS affects bats from two suborders. These are ecologically diverse and adopt a wide range of hibernating strategies. Occurrence of WNS in distantly related bat species with diverse ecology suggests that the pathogen may be a generalist and that all bats hibernating within the distribution range of P. destructans may be at risk of infection.
Highlights
Host-pathogen dynamics represent a balance between the pathogen’s ability to infect and the host’s ability to resist, with an intensive arms race between the two reflected in coevolutionary adaptations
We tested a broad diversity of European hibernating bats for P. destructans infection and skin lesions pathognomonic for white-nose syndrome (WNS)
Analysis of 123 skin biopsy samples collected in 2012 and 2013 revealed histopathological findings matching criteria used for diagnosis of WNS in 63 bats (22.82% prevalence; Table 1) of 11 species, i.e. M. myotis, M. daubentonii, M. bechsteinii, M. nattereri, M. brandtii, M. emarginatus, M. dasycneme, E. nilssonii, R. hipposideros, B. barbastellus and P. auritus (Figure 1)
Summary
Host-pathogen dynamics represent a balance between the pathogen’s ability to infect and the host’s ability to resist, with an intensive arms race between the two reflected in coevolutionary adaptations. Naive hosts may show lower resistance and other characteristics favourable to the pathogen. Overlapping distribution of a pathogen and its potential host(s) is key to host switching driven by opportunity [1]. The spread of emerging wildlife pathogens may have economic consequences, even in species indirectly linked to humans [2]. Fungal infections in amphibians and bats that result in population declines [3], for example, can lead to increased agricultural costs where humans chemically compensate for ecosystem services provided by these organisms in terms of insect control
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