scholarly journals No Change Detected in Culturable Fungal Assemblages on Cave Walls in Eastern Canada with the Introduction of Pseudogymnoascus destructans

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen J. Vanderwolf ◽  
David Malloch ◽  
Donald F. McAlpine
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Diversity ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Subsequent Decrease ◽  
Media Types ◽  
Fungal Assemblages ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Fungal Assemblage ◽  
Subsequent Disappearance

Studies of fungi in caves have become increasingly important with the advent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the invasive fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) that has killed an estimated 6.5 million North American bats. We swabbed cave walls in New Brunswick, Canada, in 2012 and 2015 to determine whether the culturable fungal assemblage on cave walls changed after the introduction of Pd and subsequent decrease in hibernating bat populations. We also compared fungal assemblages on cave walls to previous studies on the fungal assemblages of arthropods and hibernating bats in the same sites. The fungal diversity of bats and cave walls was more similar than on arthropods. The diversity and composition of fungal assemblages on cave walls was significantly different among media types and sites but did not differ over time. Therefore, no change in the culturable fungal assemblage present on cave walls was detected with the introduction of Pd and subsequent disappearance of the hibernating bat population over a 3-year period. This suggests that fungi documented in caves in the region prior to the outbreak of Pd do not require regular transmission of spores by bats to maintain fungal diversity at these sites.

scholarly journals An illustrated key to the mandibles of small mammals of eastern Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 128 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Fauteux ◽  
Gilles Lupien ◽  
François Fabianek ◽  
Jonathan Gagnon ◽  
Marion Séguy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Diagnostic Characters ◽  
Identification Keys ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Dichotomous Key ◽  
Mammalian Predators

Skulls are often used to identify small mammals, and most identification keys to small mammals have been developed on the assumption that whole skulls will be available. However, the skulls of small mammals are seldom found intact in predator pellets or nests, and the bones of several individuals are often scattered and mixed, making counting impossible without the use of a specific cranial part. In addition, only a few keys include all the species found in the eastern provinces of Canada.Mandibles readily resist degradation by the gastric acids of both avian and mammalian predators and are often found intact in food caches of mustelids and in bat hibernacula. We therefore designed an illustrated dichotomous key to small mammals (mean mass <5 kg) of eastern Canada based on diagnostic mandible characters (including the teeth and one dentary bone). We identified and confirmed diagnostic characters to distinguish 55 species from the orders Lagomorpha, Rodentia, Soricomorpha, Carnivora, and Chiroptera. These diagnostic characters are based on a review of the literature and were confirmed by measurements performed on both museum and trapped specimens. In order to facilitate identification, photographic illustrations are provided for each couplet of the key.The ability to identify small mammals using their mandibles will reduce the number of skull components needed and has proven to be a useful tool in the study of the diet of predators. This key may also be helpful in identifying bats in the genera Myotis, Perimyotis, and Eptesicus, which are presently affected by the spread of white-nose syndrome (caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans) throughout the eastern part of Canada.

scholarly journals Psychrotolerant Microfungi Associated with Deer Mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in a White-nose Syndrome Positive Bat Hibernaculum in Eastern Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen J. Vanderwolf ◽  
David Malloch ◽  
Donald F. McAlpine
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
External Surface ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Small Rodents ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Intestinal Contents ◽  
Low Diversity ◽  
Fungal Assemblage

With the exception of recent work on bats, no reports on the fungi present on live mammals in underground habitats have been published. We cultured psychrotolerant fungi from the external surface and faeces of live Deer Mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), and from the intestinal contents of a single freshly killed P. maniculatus, overwintering in a white-nose syndrome positive bat hibernaculum and from adjacent summer forest in eastern Canada. A low diversity of psychrotolerant fungi was cultured from P. maniculatus compared with that found in previous studies of the mycoflora of bats and arthropods occupying bat hibernacula in the region. Although the grooming habits of P. maniculatus may reduce the accumulation of a diverse psychrotolerant fungal assemblage on their external surface, we demonstrate that active euthermic mammals in underground habitats can carry viable spores of psychrotolerant fungi, both externally and internally. Small rodents using cave habitats may also play a role in dispersing psychrotolerant fungi between caves and suitable low-temperature habitats (i.e., burrows) in adjacent forest.

scholarly journals Spatial spread of white-nose syndrome in North America, 2006-2018

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Kramer ◽  
Alex Mercier ◽  
Sean Maher ◽  
Yaw Kumi-Ansu ◽  
Sarah Bowden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
North America ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
Wildlife Diseases ◽  
Spatial Spread ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Total Species Richness ◽  
Over Time

AbstractWhite-nose syndrome has caused massive mortality in multiple bat species and spread across much of North America, making it one of the most destructive wildlife diseases on record. This has also resulted in it being one of the most well-documented wildlife disease outbreaks, making it possible to look for changes in the pattern of spatial spread over time. We fit a series of spatial interaction models to the United States county-level observations of the pathogenic fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that causes white-nose syndrome. Models included the distance between caves, cave abundance, measures of winter length and winter onset, and species richness of all bats and hibernating bats only. We found that the best supported models included all of these factors, but that the particular structure and most informative covariates changed over the course of the outbreak, with winter length displacing winter onset as the most informative measure of winter conditions, and evidence for the effects total species richness and hibernation varying from year to year. We also found that weather had detectable effects on spread. While the effect sizes for cave abundance and species richness were relatively stable over the length of the outbreak, distance became less important as time went on. These findings indicate that although models produced early in the outbreak captured important and consistent aspects of the spatial spread of white-nose syndrome, there were also changes over time in the factors associated with spread, suggesting that forecasts may be improved by iterative model refinement.

scholarly journals Pseudogymnoascus destructans growth in wood, soil and guano substrates

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Urbina ◽  
Tara Chestnut ◽  
Jennifer M. Allen ◽  
Taal Levi
Keyword(s):  
Dna Extraction ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Pathogen Persistence ◽  
Tenfold Increase ◽  
And Control

AbstractUnderstanding how a pathogen can grow on different substrates and how this growth impacts its dispersal are critical to understanding the risks and control of emerging infectious diseases. Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in many bat species and can persist in, and transmit from, the environment. We experimentally evaluated Pd growth on common substrates to better understand mechanisms of pathogen persistence, transmission and viability. We inoculated autoclaved guano, fresh guano, soil, and wood with live Pd fungus and evaluated (1) whether Pd grows or persists on each (2) if spores of the fungus remain viable 4 months after inoculation on each substrate, and (3) whether detection and quantitation of Pd on swabs is sensitive to the choice to two commonly used DNA extraction kits. After inoculating each substrate with 460,000 Pd spores, we collected ~ 0.20 g of guano and soil, and swabs from wood every 16 days for 64 days to quantify pathogen load through time using real-time qPCR. We detected Pd on all substrates over the course of the experiment. We observed a tenfold increase in pathogen loads on autoclaved guano and persistence but not growth in fresh guano. Pathogen loads increased marginally on wood but declined ~ 60-fold in soil. After four months, apparently viable spores were harvested from all substrates but germination did not occur from fresh guano. We additionally found that detection and quantitation of Pd from swabs of wood surfaces is sensitive to the DNA extraction method. The commonly used PrepMan Ultra Reagent protocol yielded substantially less DNA than did the QIAGEN DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit. Notably the PrepMan Ultra Reagent failed to detect Pd in many wood swabs that were detected by QIAGEN and were subsequently found to contain substantial live conidia. Our results indicate that Pd can persist or even grow on common environmental substrates with results dependent on whether microbial competitors have been eliminated. Although we observed clear rapid declines in Pd on soil, viable spores were harvested four months after inoculation. These results suggest that environmental substrates and guano can in general serve as infectious environmental reservoirs due to long-term persistence, and even growth, of live Pd. This should inform management interventions to sanitize or modify structures to reduce transmission risk as well early detection rapid response (EDRR) planning.

scholarly journals Bacteria Isolated from Bats Inhibit the Growth of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Causative Agent of White-Nose Syndrome

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. e0121329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph R. Hoyt ◽  
Tina L. Cheng ◽  
Kate E. Langwig ◽  
Mallory M. Hee ◽  
Winifred F. Frick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Causative Agent ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
White Nose Syndrome

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.

Characterization of PdCP1, a serine carboxypeptidase from Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causal agent of White-nose Syndrome

2018 ◽  
Vol 399 (12) ◽  
pp. 1375-1388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chapman Beekman ◽  
Zhenze Jiang ◽  
Brian M. Suzuki ◽  
Jonathan M. Palmer ◽  
Daniel L. Lindner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
Carboxyl Terminus ◽  
Serine Carboxypeptidase ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
Fluorescent Substrate ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Species Comparisons ◽  
Bona Fide ◽  
Multiple Species

Abstract Pseudogymnoascus destructans is a pathogenic fungus responsible for White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a disease afflicting multiple species of North American bats. Pseudogymnoascus destructans infects susceptible bats during hibernation, invading dermal tissue and causing extensive tissue damage. In contrast, other Pseudogymnoascus species are non-pathogenic and cross-species comparisons may therefore reveal factors that contribute to virulence. In this study, we compared the secretome of P. destructans with that from several closely related Pseudogymnoascus species. A diverse set of hydrolytic enzymes were identified, including a putative serine peptidase, PdCP1, that was unique to the P. destructans secretome. A recombinant form of PdCP1 was purified and substrate preference determined using a multiplexed-substrate profiling method based on enzymatic degradation of a synthetic peptide library and analysis by mass spectrometry. Most peptide substrates were sequentially truncated from the carboxyl-terminus revealing that this enzyme is a bona fide carboxypeptidase. Peptides with arginine located close to the carboxyl-terminus were rapidly cleaved, and a fluorescent substrate containing arginine was therefore used to characterize PdCP1 activity and to screen a selection of peptidase inhibitors. Antipain and leupeptin were found to be the most potent inhibitors of PdCP1 activity.

scholarly journals Determinants of Pseudogymnoascus destructans within bat hibernacula: Implications for surveillance and management of white-nose syndrome

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 820-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Verant ◽  
Elizabeth A. Bohuski ◽  
Katherine L. D. Richgels ◽  
Kevin J. Olival ◽  
Jonathan H. Epstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
White Nose Syndrome
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