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Pseudogymnoascus destructans
White Nose Syndrome
Synonym(s): Geomyces destructans
Class: Dothideomycetes
Order: Incerti ordinis
Family: Pseudeurotiaceae
Photographer: Nancy Heaslip
Source: New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Description
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease of hibernating bats caused by the fungus Geomyces destructans. Named for the white fungus that appears on the muzzle and other body parts of hibernating bats, WNS is associated with extensive mortality of bats in eastern North America.
Symptoms: White-nose syndrome is identified by a white ring around the nose of an infected bat. Infected bats have perished due to an exhaustion of fat supply, which is believed to be caused by this fungus.
Host(s): Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), Eastern small-footed bat (Myotis leibii), Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) endangered, Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), Tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus).
Ecological Threat: Bats infected with WNS exhibit uncharacteristic behavior during cold winter months, including flying outside during the day and clustering near the entrances of hibernacula. Bats have been found sick and dying in unprecedented numbers in and around caves and mines. White-nose syndrome has killed between 5 and 6 million bats in the Northeast and Canada (2018). In some hibernacula, 90 to 100 percent of bats have died.
Biology: The primary method of Geomyces destructans, is thought to be through bat-to-bat contact, but biologists believe it can also be transferred inadvertently by humans.
History: First documented in New York in the winter of 2006-2007, white-nose syndrome has spread rapidly to 24 states in the US and at least 2 provinces in Canada.
U.S. Habitat: Currently, white nose syndrome is only known to infect bats and has not been observed elsewhere.
Distribution
Native Origin: It is not clear if white-nose syndrome originated in the U.S. or Europe.
U.S. Present: (2019) AL, AR, CA, CT, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, ME, MN, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY. Canadian provinces: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Click here for map.
Distribution: First found in Texas in Gillespie County on Feb. 23, 2017. Now found in 21 counties (2020).
Resembles
N/A
Management
There is currently no way to prevent white-nose syndrome, but work is being done to find the cause, transmittance, and cure for this fungus. A collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service, the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Alberta and European researchers has occurred. Their studies have focused on identifying the origins and pathology of this fungus. They have studied other fungi that grow in caves and even on bats that are non-lethal and have found some to be closely related to WNS. They hope to use this information to create a way to stop the fungus from causing the lethal WNS disease. Genetic research on the fungi has suggested WNS fungi present in North America is an invasive species. By understanding the evolutionary relationships between the fungus and the mutations in Europe and North America it will facilitate the search for WNS solutions.
In 2014, Two US Forest Service (USFS) research teams received grants from Bat Conservation International and the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy to fight against WNS. USFS seeks to improve survival of bats infected with WNS by using native soil bacteria to produce natural volatiles that inhibit growth of the fungus that causes the disease. Also, they will test the use of "gene silencing", a newly emerging technology that is showing promise as a disease-fighting tool. The insights gained could offer a way to render the fungus harmless. The bat treatment studies are scheduled for the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 hibernation seasons.
For more information on the progress of WNS research done by USFS click here and do a search on white nose syndrome.
In 2015, a study published the fungicidal effects of a soil bacteria on White Nose Syndrome. This soil bacteria, closely related to Pseudomonas fluorescens, naturally occurs on bats and other mammals. In a laboratory setting it has demonstrated its ability to reduce the growth on WNS. This study is crucial in finding a preventative and organic measure for QNS management. Also, give the amounts of Pseudomonas spp. found on various bat species could explain the difference in mortality from WNS. Even though further research on the bacteria's effect on WNS need to be performed, this is a great starting point!
SEARCH Online
Google Search: Pseudogymnoascus destructans
Google Images: Pseudogymnoascus destructans
NatureServe Explorer: Pseudogymnoascus destructans
Bugwood Network Images: Pseudogymnoascus destructans
References
Blehert, David S., Alan C. Hicks, Melissa Behr, Carol U. Meteyer, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Elizabeth L. Buckles, Jeremy T. H. Coleman, Scott R. Darling, Andrea Gargas, Robyn Niver, Joseph C. Okoniewski, Robert J. Rudd, and Ward B. Stone. 2009. Bat White-Nose Syndrome: An Emerging Fungal Pathogen? Science 323(5911): 227.
Boyles, Justin G., and Craig KR Willis. 2010. Could localized warm areas inside cold caves reduce mortality of hibernating bats affected by white-nose syndrome? Front Ecol Environ 8(2): 92-98.
Hoyt, J. R., Cheng, T. L., Langwig, K. E., Hee, M. M., Frick, W. F., & Kilpatrick, A. M. 2015. Bacteria isolated from bats inhibit the growth of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of white-nose syndrome. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0121329. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0121329
Minnis, Andrew M., Daniel L. Linder. 2013. Phylogenetic evaluation of Geomyces and allies reveals no close relatives of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, comb. nov., in bat hibernacula of eastern North America. Fungal Biology 117:638-649
Reichard, Jonathan D., and Thomas H. Kunz. 2009. White-Nose Syndrome Inflicts Lasting Injuries to the Wings of Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus). Acta Chiropterologica 11(2): 457-464.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 2020. White-Nose Syndrome Confirmed in Bat in Texas. News release. Accessed 7 July 2020: https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20200305a
Uphoff Meteyer, Carol, Elizabeth L. Buckles, David S. Blehert, Alan C. Hicks, D. Earl Green, Valerie Shearn-Bochsler, Nancy J. Thomas, Andrea Gargas, and Melissa J. Behr. 2009. Histopathologic Criteria to Confirm White-nose Syndrome in Bats. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 21(4): 411-414.
Data Source
USFWS - http://www. fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/
http://www.batconservation.org/drupal/white-nose
Bat Conservation International
Original: Justin Bush, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
