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Higher white-nose syndrome fungal isolate yields from UV-guided wing biopsies compared with skin swabs and optimal culture media. BMC Vet Res 2023; 19:40. [PMID: 36759833 PMCID: PMC9912490 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-023-03603-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND North American bat populations have suffered severe declines over the last decade due to the Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus infection. The skin disease associated with this causative agent, known as white-nose syndrome (WNS), is specific to bats hibernating in temperate regions. As cultured fungal isolates are required for epidemiological and phylogeographical studies, the purpose of the present work was to compare the efficacy and reliability of different culture approaches based on either skin swabs or wing membrane tissue biopsies for obtaining viable fungal isolates of P. destructans. RESULTS In total, we collected and analysed 69 fungal and 65 bacterial skin swabs and 51 wing membrane tissue biopsies from three bat species in the Czech Republic, Poland and the Republic of Armenia. From these, we obtained 12 viable P. destructans culture isolates. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that the efficacy of cultures based on wing membrane biopsies were significantly higher. Cultivable samples tended to be based on collections from bats with lower body surface temperature and higher counts of UV-visualised lesions. While cultures based on both skin swabs and wing membrane tissue biopsies can be utilised for monitoring and surveillance of P. destructans in bat populations, wing membrane biopsies guided by UV light for skin lesions proved higher efficacy. Interactions between bacteria on the host's skin also appear to play an important role.
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SURVEILLANCE FOR AN EMERGENT HOOF DISEASE IN ELK (CERVUS ELAPHUS) IN THE US PACIFIC WEST SUPPLEMENTED BY 16S RRNA GENE AMPLICON SEQUENCING. J Wildl Dis 2022; 58:487-499. [PMID: 35417921 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-21-00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A novel hoof disease of elk (Cervus elaphus) was described in southwestern Washington, US, in 2008 and was subsequently diagnosed in an adjacent area in northwestern Oregon in 2014. The disease, currently referred to as treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD), is characterized by lesions ranging from mild erosions, to severe ulcers with underrunning of the hoof capsule and heel-sole junction, to overgrown and avulsed hoof capsules. Histologically, lesions exhibit epithelial erosion or ulceration, suppurative inflammation, and the presence of argyrophilic spirochetes. We used data collected by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife from 2008 to 2017 as reference for disease distribution. We then conducted enhanced surveillance in 2018-20 by obtaining 164 submissions from four US Pacific West states. We detected TAHD for the first time in Idaho and northern California, as well as in multiple counties in Washington and Oregon where it had not been previously reported. Given the unexpectedly broad disease distribution, continued surveillance is warranted to determine the full geographic extent of TAHD. From samples of 22 elk, we investigated 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing as a technique that could be used to supplement TAHD surveillance. Operational taxonomic units of the family Spirochaetaceae were identified in 10 of 12 histologically diagnosed TAHD-positive cases and two of 10 TAHD-negative cases. Phyla Spirochaetae (P<0.008), Fusobacteria (P<0.006), and Tenericutes (P<0.01) were overrepresented in samples from TAHD-positive feet when compared with TAHD-negative elk. A unique spirochete, PT19, was detected in hooves of 11 elk and from at least one elk in each state. Results support the use of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing as a reliable and informative tool to supplement investigations into distribution and etiology of this presumed polybacterial disease.
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Meteyer CU, Dutheil JY, Keel MK, Boyles JG, Stukenbrock EH. Plant pathogens provide clues to the potential origin of bat white-nose syndrome Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Virulence 2022; 13:1020-1031. [PMID: 35635339 PMCID: PMC9176227 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2082139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
White-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats, yet both the origins and infection strategy of the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, remain elusive. We provide evidence for a novel hypothesis that P. destructans emerged from plant-associated fungi and retained invasion strategies affiliated with fungal pathogens of plants. We demonstrate that P. destructans invades bat skin in successive biotrophic and necrotrophic stages (hemibiotrophic infection), a mechanism previously only described in plant fungal pathogens. Further, the convergence of hyphae at hair follicles suggests nutrient tropism. Tropism, biotrophy, and necrotrophy are often associated with structures termed appressoria in plant fungal pathogens; the penetrating hyphae produced by P. destructans resemble appressoria. Finally, we conducted a phylogenomic analysis of a taxonomically diverse collection of fungi. Despite gaps in genetic sampling of prehistoric and contemporary fungal species, we estimate an 88% probability the ancestral state of the clade containing P. destructans was a plant-associated fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol Uphoff Meteyer
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin 53711
| | - Julien Y. Dutheil
- Molecular Systems Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Plön, Germany
| | - M. Kevin Keel
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Dept of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California 95616
| | - Justin G. Boyles
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory and School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901
| | - Eva H. Stukenbrock
- Environmental Genomics Group, Botanical Institute, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Plön, Germany
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4
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Fischer NM, Altewischer A, Ranpal S, Dool S, Kerth G, Puechmaille SJ. Population genetics as a tool to elucidate pathogen reservoirs: Lessons from Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of White-Nose disease in bats. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:675-690. [PMID: 34704285 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases pose a major threat to human, animal, and plant health. The risk of species-extinctions increases when pathogens can survive in the absence of the host. Environmental reservoirs can facilitate this. However, identifying such reservoirs and modes of infection is often highly challenging. In this study, we investigated the presence and nature of an environmental reservoir for the ascomycete fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of White-Nose disease. Using 18 microsatellite markers, we determined the genotypic differentiation between 1497 P. destructans isolates collected from nine closely situated underground sites where bats hibernate (i.e., hibernacula) in Northeastern Germany. This approach was unique in that it ensured that every isolate and resulting multilocus genotype was not only present, but also viable and therefore theoretically capable of infecting a bat. The distinct distribution of multilocus genotypes across hibernacula demonstrates that each hibernaculum has an essentially unique fungal population. This would be expected if bats become infected in their hibernaculum (i.e., the site they spend winter in to hibernate) rather than in other sites visited before they start hibernating. In one hibernaculum, both the walls and the hibernating bats were sampled at regular intervals over five consecutive winter seasons (1062 isolates), revealing higher genotypic richness on walls compared to bats and a stable frequency of multilocus genotypes over multiple winters. This clearly implicates hibernacula walls as the main environmental reservoir of the pathogen, from which bats become reinfected annually during the autumn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola M Fischer
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Andrea Altewischer
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Surendra Ranpal
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Serena Dool
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Institut Agro, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Gerald Kerth
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sebastien J Puechmaille
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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5
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Saikia U, Chakravarty R, Hegde VD, Meetei AB, Kruskop S, Csorba G, Ruedi M. First record of Disk-footed bat Eudiscopus denticulus (Osgood, 1932) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from India with notes on its ecology and genetics. REV SUISSE ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.35929/rsz.0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Uttam Saikia
- Zoological Survey of India, North Eastern Regional Centre, Risa Colony, Shillong, Meghalaya-793003, India
| | - Rohit Chakravarty
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, D-10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Vishwanath D. Hegde
- Zoological Survey of India, North Eastern Regional Centre, Risa Colony, Shillong, Meghalaya-793003, India
| | - Asem Bipin Meetei
- Zoological Survey of India, North Eastern Regional Centre, Risa Colony, Shillong, Meghalaya-793003, India
| | - Sergei Kruskop
- Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, Ul. Bolshaya Nikitskaya 2, 125009 Moscow, Russia
| | - Gabor Csorba
- Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross 13., H-1088 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Manuel Ruedi
- Department of Mammalogy and Ornithology, Muséum d'histoire naturelle, C.P. 6434, CH-1211 Genève 6, Switzerland
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6
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Abstract
The recent introduction of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (the fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome in bats) from Eurasia to North America has resulted in the collapse of North American bat populations and restructured species communities. The long evolutionary history between P. destructans and bats in Eurasia makes understanding host life history essential to uncovering the ecology of P. destructans. In this Review, we combine information on pathogen and host biology to understand the patterns of P. destructans spread, seasonal transmission ecology, the pathogenesis of white-nose syndrome and the cross-scale impact from individual hosts to ecosystems. Collectively, this research highlights how early pathogen detection and quantification of host impacts has accelerated the understanding of this newly emerging infectious disease.
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7
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Seidlova V, Nemcova M, Pikula J, Bartonička T, Ghazaryan A, Heger T, Kokurewicz T, Orlov OL, Patra S, Piacek V, Treml F, Zukalova K, Zukal J. Urinary shedding of leptospires in palearctic bats. Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 68:3089-3095. [PMID: 33527732 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic infection of worldwide occurrence. Bats, like other mammalian reservoirs, may be long-term carriers that maintain endemicity of infection and shed viable leptospires in urine. Direct and/or indirect contact with these Leptospira shedders is the main risk factor as regards public health concern. However, knowledge about bat leptospirosis in the Palearctic Region, and in Europe in particular, is poor. We collected urine from 176 specimens of 11 bat species in the Czech Republic, Poland, Republic of Armenia and the Altai Region of Russia between 2014 and 2019. We extracted DNA from the urine samples to detect Leptospira spp. shedders using PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA and LipL32 genes. Four bat species (Barbastella barbastellus n = 1, Myotis bechsteinii n = 1, Myotis myotis n = 24 and Myotis nattereri n = 1) tested positive for Leptospira spp., with detected amplicons showing 100% genetic identity with pathogenic Leptospira interrogans. The site- and species-specific prevalence range was 0%-24.1% and 0%-20%, respectively. All bats sampled in the Republic of Armenia and Russia were negative. Given the circulation of pathogenic leptospires in strictly protected Palearctic bat species and their populations, non-invasive and non-lethal sampling of urine for molecular Leptospira spp. detection is recommended as a suitable surveillance and monitoring strategy. Moreover, our results should raise awareness of this potential disease risk among health professionals, veterinarians, chiropterologists and wildlife rescue workers handling bats, as well as speleologists and persons cleaning premises following bat infestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Seidlova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Monika Nemcova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Pikula
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Bartonička
- Institute of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - Tomas Heger
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomasz Kokurewicz
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Palaeontology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Oleg L Orlov
- X-BIO Institute, Tyumen State University, Tyumen, Russia.,Department of Biochemistry, Tyumen State Medical University, Tyumen, Russia
| | - Sneha Patra
- Laboratory of Ecological Plant Physiology, CzechGlobe, Global Change Research Institute Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Phytophthora Research Centre, Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimir Piacek
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Frantisek Treml
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Katerina Zukalova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Zukal
- Institute of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
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8
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Seidlova V, Zukal J, Brichta J, Anisimov N, Apoznański G, Bandouchova H, Bartonička T, Berková H, Botvinkin AD, Heger T, Dundarova H, Kokurewicz T, Linhart P, Orlov OL, Piacek V, Presetnik P, Shumkina AP, Tiunov MP, Treml F, Pikula J. Active surveillance for antibodies confirms circulation of lyssaviruses in Palearctic bats. BMC Vet Res 2020; 16:482. [PMID: 33302915 PMCID: PMC7731468 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02702-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Palearctic bats host a diversity of lyssaviruses, though not the classical rabies virus (RABV). As surveillance for bat rabies over the Palearctic area covering Central and Eastern Europe and Siberian regions of Russia has been irregular, we lack data on geographic and seasonal patterns of the infection. RESULTS To address this, we undertook serological testing, using non-lethally sampled blood, on 1027 bats of 25 species in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Slovenia between 2014 and 2018. The indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detected rabies virus anti-glycoprotein antibodies in 33 bats, giving an overall seroprevalence of 3.2%. Bat species exceeding the seroconversion threshold included Myotis blythii, Myotis gracilis, Myotis petax, Myotis myotis, Murina hilgendorfi, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Vespertilio murinus. While Myotis species (84.8%) and adult females (48.5%) dominated in seropositive bats, juveniles of both sexes showed no difference in seroprevalence. Higher numbers tested positive when sampled during the active season (10.5%), as compared with the hibernation period (0.9%). Bat rabies seroprevalence was significantly higher in natural habitats (4.0%) compared with synanthropic roosts (1.2%). Importantly, in 2018, we recorded 73.1% seroprevalence in a cave containing a M. blythii maternity colony in the Altai Krai of Russia. CONCLUSIONS Identification of such "hotspots" of non-RABV lyssavirus circulation not only provides important information for public health protection, it can also guide research activities aimed at more in-depth bat rabies studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Seidlova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Zukal
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 267/2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Brichta
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Nikolay Anisimov
- Land Use and Biodiversity, International Complex Research Laboratory for Study of Climate Change, Tyumen State University, Volodarckogo 6, 625003, Tyumen, Russia
| | - Grzegorz Apoznański
- Institute of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Palaeontology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Hana Bandouchova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Bartonička
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 267/2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Berková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alexander D Botvinkin
- Irkutsk State Medical University, Krasnogo Vosstania street 1, 664003, Irkutsk, Russian Federation
| | - Tomas Heger
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Heliana Dundarova
- Department of Ecosystem Research, Environment Risk Assessment and Conservation Biology, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Tsar Osvoboditel 1, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tomasz Kokurewicz
- Institute of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Palaeontology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Petr Linhart
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Oleg L Orlov
- Land Use and Biodiversity, International Complex Research Laboratory for Study of Climate Change, Tyumen State University, Volodarckogo 6, 625003, Tyumen, Russia
- Department of Biochemistry, Ural State Medical University, Repina 3, 620014, Ekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Vladimir Piacek
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Primož Presetnik
- Centre for Cartography of Fauna and Flora, Antoličičeva 1, SI-2204 , Miklavž na Dravskem polju, Slovenia
| | - Alexandra P Shumkina
- Western Baikal protected areas, Federal State Budgetary Institution "Zapovednoe Pribaikalye", Baikalskaya st. 291B, 664050, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Mikhail P Tiunov
- Institute of Biology and Soil Science, Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr- t 100-letiya Vladivostoka 159, 690022, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Frantisek Treml
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Pikula
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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9
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Davy CM, Donaldson ME, Bandouchova H, Breit AM, Dorville NA, Dzal YA, Kovacova V, Kunkel EL, Martínková N, Norquay KJ, Paterson JE, Zukal J, Pikula J, Willis CK, Kyle CJ. Transcriptional host-pathogen responses of Pseudogymnoascus destructans and three species of bats with white-nose syndrome. Virulence 2020; 11:781-794. [PMID: 32552222 PMCID: PMC7549942 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2020.1768018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how context (e.g., host species, environmental conditions) drives disease susceptibility is an essential goal of disease ecology. We hypothesized that in bat white-nose syndrome (WNS), species-specific host-pathogen interactions may partly explain varying disease outcomes among host species. We characterized bat and pathogen transcriptomes in paired samples of lesion-positive and lesion-negative wing tissue from bats infected with Pseudogymnoascus destructans in three parallel experiments. The first two experiments analyzed samples collected from the susceptible Nearctic Myotis lucifugus and the less-susceptible Nearctic Eptesicus fuscus, following experimental infection and hibernation in captivity under controlled conditions. The third experiment applied the same analyses to paired samples from infected, free-ranging Myotis myotis, a less susceptible, Palearctic species, following natural infection and hibernation (n = 8 sample pairs/species). Gene expression by P. destructans was similar among the three host species despite varying environmental conditions among the three experiments and was similar within each host species between saprophytic contexts (superficial growth on wings) and pathogenic contexts (growth in lesions on the same wings). In contrast, we observed qualitative variation in host response: M. lucifugus and M. myotis exhibited systemic responses to infection, while E. fuscus up-regulated a remarkably localized response. Our results suggest potential phylogenetic determinants of response to WNS and can inform further studies of context-dependent host-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M. Davy
- Environmental and Life Sciences Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, Canada
| | | | - Hana Bandouchova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ana M. Breit
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C-FIR), University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Nicole A.S. Dorville
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C-FIR), University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Yvonne A. Dzal
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C-FIR), University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Veronika Kovacova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Emma L. Kunkel
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C-FIR), University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Natália Martínková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kaleigh J.O. Norquay
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C-FIR), University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - James E. Paterson
- Environmental and Life Sciences Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
| | - Jan Zukal
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Pikula
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Craig K.R. Willis
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C-FIR), University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Christopher J. Kyle
- Environmental and Life Sciences Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
- Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensics Centre, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
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10
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Bandouchova H, Zukal J, Linhart P, Berkova H, Brichta J, Kovacova V, Kubickova A, Abdelsalam EEE, Bartonička T, Zajíčková R, Pikula J. Low seasonal variation in greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) blood parameters. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234784. [PMID: 32634149 PMCID: PMC7340307 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) is a flagship species for the protection of hibernation and summer maternity roosts in the Western Palearctic region. A range of pathogenic agents is known to put pressure on populations, including the white-nose syndrome fungus, for which the species shows the highest prevalence and infection intensity of all European bat species. Here, we perform analysis of blood parameters characteristic for the species during its natural annual life cycle in order to establish reference values. Despite sexual dimorphism and some univariate differences, the overall multivariate pattern suggests low seasonal variation with homeostatic mechanisms effectively regulating haematology and blood biochemistry ranges. Overall, the species displayed a high haematocrit and haemoglobin content and high concentration of urea, while blood glucose levels in swarming and hibernating bats ranged from hypo- to normoglycaemic. Unlike blood pH, concentrations of electrolytes were wide ranging. To conclude, baseline data for blood physiology are a useful tool for providing suitable medical care in rescue centres, for studying population health in bats adapting to environmental change, and for understanding bat responses to stressors of conservation and/or zoonotic importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Bandouchova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Zukal
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Linhart
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Berkova
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Brichta
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Kovacova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Aneta Kubickova
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ehdaa E. E. Abdelsalam
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Bartonička
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Renata Zajíčková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Pikula
- Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
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First Isolation of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Fungal Causative Agent of White-Nose Disease, in Bats from Italy. Mycopathologia 2019; 184:637-644. [PMID: 31414314 DOI: 10.1007/s11046-019-00371-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
White-nose disease, caused by the dermatophyte Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is a devastating pathology that has caused a massive decline in the US bat populations. In Europe, this fungus and the related infection in bats have been recorded in several countries and for many bat species, although no mass mortality has been detected. This study reports for the first time the presence of P. destructans in Italy. The fungus was isolated in the Rio Martino cave, a site located in the Western Alps and included in the Natura 2000 network. Twenty bats, belonging to five different species, were analysed. The fungus was retrieved on eight individuals of Myotis emarginatus. The allied keratolytic species P. pannorum was observed on two other individuals, also belonging to M. emarginatus. Strains were isolated in pure culture and characterized morphologically. Results were validated through molecular analyses. Future work should be dedicated to understand the distribution and the effects of the two Pseudogymnoascus species on Italian bats.
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Kazakov D, Shumkina A, Botvinkin A, Morozov O. Bat Swarming in the Eastern Palaearctic (Eastern Siberia). ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2019. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2018.20.2.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Denis Kazakov
- International Complex Research Laboratory for Study of Climate Change, Land Use and Biodiversity, Tyumen State University, 25 Lenin Street, 625003 Tуumen, Russia
| | - Alexandra Shumkina
- Federal State Budgetary Institution 'Zapovednoe Pribaikalye', 291b Baikalskaya Street, 664050 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Alexander Botvinkin
- Department of Epidemiology, Irkutsk State Medical University, 1 Krasnogo Vosstania Street, 664009 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Oleg Morozov
- Center of Children's Complementary Education and Evenkis' Folk Crafts, 2а Morozov Street, 671510 Bagdarin, Russia
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