Ecology and impacts of white-nose syndrome on bats

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Publication Date

1-18-2021

Publication Title

Nature Reviews Microbiology

Volume Number

19

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.

Keywords

Chiroptera, Fungal diseases, Wildlife diseases, Disease ecology, Epidemics

Document Type

Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-020-00493-5

Language

English

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