Inoculation of bats with European Geomyces destructans supports the novel pathogen hypothesis for the origin of white-nose syndrome
Inoculation of bats with European Geomyces destructans supports the novel pathogen hypothesis for the origin of white-nose syndrome
复制标题
DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1200374109
复制
发表时间：
2012-05-01
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Willis, Craig K. R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Warnecke, Lisa;Turner, James M.;Willis, Craig K. R.
白鼻综合征（WNS）是一种新出现的冬眠蝙蝠疾病，与真菌破坏地菌（Gd）的皮肤感染有关，并导致北美东部蝙蝠种群的毁灭性下降。受影响的蝙蝠看起来很瘦弱，一种假设是它们在冬眠期间花了太多的时间脱离冬眠，耗尽了过冬所需的重要脂肪储备。在欧洲各地的蝙蝠身上也发现了低水平的真菌，但没有大规模死亡。这一发现表明，Gd要么原产于两大洲，但由于突变或环境变化而在北美变得更具致病性，要么是最近从欧洲入侵到北美的。因此，Gd与死亡率之间的因果关系尚未确定，其在北美高致病性的原因尚不清楚。本研究表明，用北美或欧洲的Gd分离株进行实验性接种可导致北美蝙蝠（Myotis lucifugus）的WNS和死亡。与对照组相比，接种Gd分离物的个体出现WNS的皮肤感染，冬眠期间从冬眠中醒来的频率逐渐增加，并且在3-4个月后变得消瘦。我们的研究结果表明，冬眠-觉醒周期的改变是WNS死亡率的基础，并提供了Gd是从欧洲传入北美的新型病原体的直接证据。
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging disease of hibernating bats associated with cutaneous infection by the fungus Geomyces destructans (Gd), and responsible for devastating declines of bat populations in eastern North America. Affected bats appear emaciated and one hypothesis is that they spend too much time out of torpor during hibernation, depleting vital fat reserves required to survive the winter. The fungus has also been found at low levels on bats throughout Europe but without mass mortality. This finding suggests that Gd is either native to both continents but has been rendered more pathogenic in North America by mutation or environmental change, or that it recently arrived in North America as an invader from Europe. Thus, a causal link between Gd and mortality has not been established and the reason for its high pathogenicity in North America is unknown. Here we show that experimental inoculation with either North American or European isolates of Gd causes WNS and mortality in the North American bat, Myotis lucifugus. In contrast to control bats, individuals inoculated with either isolate of Gd developed cutaneous infections diagnostic of WNS, exhibited a progressive increase in the frequency of arousals from torpor during hibernation, and were emaciated after 3-4 mo. Our results demonstrate that altered torpor-arousal cycles underlie mortality from WNS and provide direct evidence that Gd is a novel pathogen to North America from Europe.