White Nose Syndrome, Bat-Killing Fungus, Is All But Invincible, Study Finds

From Mother Nature Network’s Russell McLendon:

As the weather cools and bats across North America prepare to hibernate, a new study sheds light on the mysterious monster that will haunt them in their sleep. Much like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and other Halloween villains, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats is ridiculously difficult to kill, researchers report.

That fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has killed around 6 million American bats since its debut in a single New York cave seven years ago. It now infects 22 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces, decimating entire bat colonies with a mortality rate of nearly 100 percent. And according to a new study published in the journal PLOS One, P. destructans is a flexible fiend whose survival doesn’t hinge on the bats it massacres.

“It can basically live on any complex carbon source, which encompasses insects, undigested insect parts in guano, wood, dead fungi and cave fish,” says lead author and University of Illinois grad student Daniel Raudabaugh in a press release. “We looked at all the different nitrogen sources and found that basically it can grow on all of them.”

This adaptable diet is made possible by enzymes that break down urea and other proteins, producing highly alkaline conditions that can burn holes in skin and leave bats vulnerable to further infection. “P. destructans appears to create an environment that should degrade the structure of keratin, the main protein in skin,” Raudabaugh says. It can also survive on other proteins and lipids in bats’ skin and bodily fluids, the study shows.

While previous studies have examined the fungus’s genome and its effects on bats, this is the first in-depth look at its basic biology, according to Andrew Miller, a mycologist for the Illinois Natural History Survey who helped direct Raudabaugh’s research. “Dan found that P. destructans can live perfectly happily off the remains of most organisms that co-inhabit the caves with the bats,” Miller says. “This means that whether the bats are there or not, it’s going to be in the caves for a very long time.”

A bat skull lies on the floor of Mt. Aeolus Cave in Vermont. (Photo: Ann Froschauer/USFWS)

Heat is one of the few silver bullets for the cold-loving fungus, which only manages to infect warm-blooded bats because hibernation decreases their body temperatures. But since artificially heating thousands of bat caves across the continent isn’t a practical solution, scientists are searching for other ways to control the disease’s rapid spread.

The fungus does struggle in extremely acidic conditions, Raudabaugh notes, but otherwise tolerates a “very wide range of pH” as well as high calcium levels, inhibitory sulfur compounds and other naturally occurring hurdles. Its only significant weakness, aside from temperatures above 68 degrees Fahrenheit, seems to be the way it drinks water, he says.

P. destructans‘ cells are leaky, making it hard for them to absorb water from dry wood and other surfaces that cling to moisture. But the fungus has apparently solved that problem, since it can draw up water more easily in the presence of degraded fats or free fatty acids — both of which occur on the skin of living and dead animals, including bats.

A map showing the spread of white-nose syndrome since 2006. (Image: whitenosesyndrome.org)

The fungus is thought to be an invader from Europe, where native bats are relatively immune to similar species of cave-dwelling fungi. Scientists say it probably hitched a ride across the Atlantic on the shoes, clothing or equipment of unwitting spelunkers, who may have inadvertently helped it invade a continent full of defenseless bats.

It remains unclear exactly how P. destructans kills bats, but it seems to wake them up too early from hibernation, leaving them to search fruitlessly for insects in the dead of winter. Aside from damaged skin and the characteristic white fuzz on their noses, ears and wings, many infected bats are found with empty stomachs, suggesting they starved to death.

“All in all, the news for hibernating bats in the U.S. is pretty grim,” Miller says. That won’t stop the quest to save American bats, though, which play important economic as well as ecological roles. Insect-eating bats keep a variety of disease-spreading and crop-killing insects in check, saving the U.S. agriculture industry an estimated $3 billion per year.

Researchers with the U.S. Forest Service recently discovered the closest relative of P. destructans that doesn’t cause disease, offering hope that science might find a way to defang the fungus. “Identification of the closest known relatives of this fungus makes it possible to move forward with genetic work to examine the molecular toolbox this fungus uses to kill bats,” USFS researcher Daniel Lindner said earlier this year. “Ultimately, we hope to use this information to interrupt the ability of this fungus to cause disease.”

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• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emDiceros sumatrensis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongSumatran rhino

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Rhino

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 250 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Hunting for horn -used in traditional medicine

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emEleutherodactylus thorectes/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongMacaya Breast-Spot Frog

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Frog

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat destruction due to charcoal production and slash-and-burn agriculture

  
  

  Credit: a href=”http://www.robindmoore.com”Robin Moore/a

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emScaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongRed-Finned Blue Eye

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Freshwater Fish

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong2,000 – 4,000 Individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Predation by introduced species

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emRafetus Swinhoei/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongRed River Giant Softshell Turtle

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Turtle

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong4 known individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Hunting for consumption and habitat destruction and degradation as a result of wetland destruction and pollution

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emNeurergus kaiseri/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongLuristan newt

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Newt

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 1000 mature individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Illegal collection for pet trade

  
  


• 
  

  List Provided By Zoological Society Of London/ International Union For Conservation Of Nature

  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emPoecilotheria metallica/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongPeacock Parachute Spider

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Spider

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat loss and degradation as a result of deforestation, firewood collection and civil unrest

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emAtelopus balios/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongRio Pescado Stubfoot Toad

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Toad

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Chytridiomycosis and habitat destruction due to logging and agricultural expansion

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emJohora Singaporensis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongSingapore Freshwater Crab

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Crab

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat degradation – reduction in water quality and quantity

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emAbies beshanzuensis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongBaishan Fir

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Conifer

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong5 mature individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Agricultural expansion and fire

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emActinote zikani /em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Butterfly

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown, one population remaining

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat degradation due to pressure from human populations

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emAipysurus foliosquama/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongLeaf Scaled Sea-Snake

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Sea snake

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong Unknown, two subpopulations remain

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Unknown – likely degradation of coral reef habitat

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emAmanipodagrion gilliesi/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongAmani Flatwing

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Damselfly

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 500 individuals est.

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat degradation due to increasing population pressure and water pollution

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emAntilophia bokermanni/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongAraripe Manakin

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong bird

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong779 individuals (est 2010)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat destruction due to expansion of agriculture and recreational facilities and water diversion

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong Antisolabis seychellensis

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong Seychelles Earwig

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Earwig

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Invasive species and climate change

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong Aphanius transgrediens

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Freshwater fish

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Competition and predation by Gambusia and road construction

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong Ardeotis nigriceps

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong Great Indian Bustard

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bird

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 50 -249 mature individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat loss and modification due to agricultural development

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong Aproteles bulmerae

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongBulmer’s Fruit Bat

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bat

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong150 individuals (est)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Hunting and cave disturbance

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong Ardea insignis

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongWhite Bellied Heron

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bird

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong70-400 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat destruction and degradation due to hydropower development

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emAstrochelus yniphora/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong Ploughshare Tortoise / Angonoka

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Tortoise

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong440-770

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Illegal collection for international pet trade

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emAythya innotata/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongMadagascar Pochard

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bird

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong Approximately 20 mature individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat degradation due to slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, and fishing / introduced fish

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emAzurina eupalama/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong Galapagos damsel fish

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Pelagic fish

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Climate Change – oceanographic changes associated with the 1982 / 1983 El Nino are presumed to be responsible for the apparent disappearance of this species from the Galapagos

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emBahaba taipingensis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong Giant yellow croaker

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Pelagic fish

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong Unknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Over-fishing, primarily due to value of swim-bladder for traditional medicine – cost per kilogram exceeded that of gold in 2001

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emBatagur baska/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong Common Batagur/ Four-toed terrapin

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Turtle

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong Unknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Illegal export and trade from Indonesia to China

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong Bazzania bhutanica

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Liverwort

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat degradation and destruction due to forest clearance, overgrazing and development

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emBeatragus hunteri/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongHirola

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Antelope

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 1000 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat loss and degradation, competition with livestock, poaching

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emBombus franklinii/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongFranklin’s Bumble Bee

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bee

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Disease from commercially bred bumblebees and habitat destruction and degradation

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong Brachyteles hypoxanthus

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong Northern muriqui

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Primate

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 1,000 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat loss and fragmentation due to large-scale deforestation and selective logging

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emBradypus pygmaeus/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongPygmy sloth

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Sloth

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 500 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat loss due to illegal logging of mangrove forests for firewood and construction and hunting of the sloths

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emCallitriche pulchra/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Freshwater plant

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong Unknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Exploitation of the species’ habitat by stock, and modification of the pool by local people

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emCalumma tarzan/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongTarzan’s Chameleon

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Chameleon

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat destruction for agriculture

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emCavia intermedia/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongSanta Catarina’s Guinea Pig

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Guinea Pig

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 40-60 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat disturbance and possible hunting; small population effects

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emCercopithecus roloway/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongRoloway Guenon

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Primate

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Hunting for consumption as bushmeat, and habitat loss

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emColeura seychellensis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongSeychelles Sheath-Tailed Bat

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bat

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 100 mature individuals (est 2008)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat degradation and predation by invasive species

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emCryptomyces maximus/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Fungus

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Limited availability of habitat

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emCryptotis nelsoni/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNelson’s Small-Eared Shrew

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Shrew

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong habitat loss due to logging cattle grazing, fire and agriculture

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emCyclura collei/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongJamaican Iguana

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Iguana

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Predation by introduced species and habitat destruction

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emDendrophylax fawcettii/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongCayman Islands Ghost Orchid

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Orchid

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat destruction due to infrastructure development

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emDiomedea amsterdamensis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongAmsterdam Island Albatross

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bird

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong100 mature individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Disease and incidental capture in long-line fishing operations

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emDiospyros katendei/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong None

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Tree

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong20 individuals, one population

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong High pressure from communities for agricultural activity, illegal tree felling, habitat degradation due to alluvial gold digging and small population

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emDipterocarpus lamellatus/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Dipterocarp (tree)

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong12 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat loss and degradation due to logging of lowland forest and creation of industrial plantations

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emDiscoglossus nigriventer/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strong Hula painted frog

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Frog

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (recent rediscovery in 2011)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Predation by birds and range restriction due to habitat destruction

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emDiscorea strydomiana/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongWild Yam

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Yam

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong200 Individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Collection for medicinal use

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emDombeya mauritiana/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Flowering plant

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat degradation and destruction due to encroachment by alien invasive plant species and cannabis cultivation

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emEleocarpus bojeri/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Flowering plant

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 10 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Small population and degraded habitat

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emEleutherodactylus glandulifer/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongLa Hotte Glanded Frog

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Frog

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strongUnknown (declining)

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat destruction due to charcoal production and slash-and-burn agriculture

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emEriosyce chilensis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongChilenito

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Cactus

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 500 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Collection of flowering individuals

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emErythrina schliebenii/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongCoral Tree

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Flowering tree

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 50 individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Limited habitat and small population size increasing vulnerability to stochastic events

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emEuphorbia tanaensis/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Semi-deciduous tree

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong4 mature individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Illegal logging and habitat degradation due to agricultural expansion and infrastructure development

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emEurynorhynchus pygmeus/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongSpoon-Billed Sandpiper

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bird

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 100 breeding pairs

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Trapping on wintering grounds and land reclamation.

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emFicus katendei/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNone

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Tree (ficus)

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong 50 mature individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Agricultural activity, illegal tree felling and habitat degradation due to alluvial gold digging

  
  


• 
  
  
  

  strongScientific Name:/strong emGeronticus eremita/em

  
  

  strongCommon Name: /strongNorthern Bald Ibis

  
  

  strongCategory:/strong Bird

  
  

  strongPopulation: /strong200-249 mature individuals

  
  

  strongThreats To Survival:/strong Habitat degradation and destruction, and hunting

  
  

White Nose Syndrome, Bat-Killing Fungus, Is All But Invincible, Study Finds