White nose syndrome

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Bat affected by white nose syndrome ( Myotis lucifugus )

The white nose syndrome (WNS; German also as "white nose syndrome" or "white nose disease") is a mycosis that is closely related to the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (formerly called Geomyces destructans ) and affects several types of bats Mass extinction leads. It was first discovered in the northeastern United States in 2006 and has been spreading there ever since. By the end of 2011, over 5.7 million animals had already been killed. By the beginning of 2018, the mycosis had been detected in 33 US states and 7 Canadian provinces.

discovery

The first observations of the white nose syndrome were made in February 2006. Infested animals were found in caves west of Albany (New York) used as wintering quarters . In the following winters, the affected area increased; currently (March 2010) it extends from New Hampshire to Tennessee , mainly west of the main ridge of the Allegheny Mountains . In March 2010, a first report from Canada about an affected bat colony in the Bancroft ( Ontario ) area was also announced.

features

Great mouse ear ( Myotis myotis ) infected by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans

The disease affects several bat species that winter in caves (representatives of the genera Myotis and Pipistrellus ). Dead or dying animals often show white fungus growth, especially in the nasal region, sometimes also on other parts of the body such as the ears or the flight skins . Since the sick animals are underweight, they lack the fat reserves necessary for hibernation and survival afterwards.

causes

Pseudogymnoascus destructans

The species Pseudogymnoascus destructans , which belongs to a genus of soil-dwelling fungi and was newly described in 2008, is closely related to the disease . This species is characterized by adaptation to cool conditions ( psychrophilia ). However, since dead animals found in the affected caves do not always bear visible signs of fungal infestation, it has long been unclear whether the fungus may not be the primary cause but rather a symptom of another, unexplained cause of the mass extinction. In 2011, however, scientists succeeded for the first time in identifying the fungus directly as the cause of white nose syndrome.

In the caves where the disease was first discovered, the bat population has since declined over 90%. The species Myotis sodalis , whose few main wintering roosts are already infested, appears to be particularly endangered by the spread of the White Nose Syndrome . It is feared, however, that even common species such as the lesser brown mouse-eared mouse ( Myotis lucifugus ) will disappear completely in some regions .

Sensitized by the infection in North America, bats clearly infected with Pseudogymnoascus destructans have also been found in several European countries (Germany, Austria, Hungary, France) since 2009 . However, these were alive and were not underweight. From the fact that the fungus is widely distributed in Europe, it is concluded that the fungus has been widespread here for a long time and does not appear to pose a threat to European bats.

Of the three scenarios discussed so far:

  • Pseudogymnoascus destructans has since been introduced from America to Europe.
  • Pseudogymnoascus destructans is native to Europe, but does not lead to mass extinction there, since bat species there - unlike in North America, where the fungus was transported from Europe - are immune.
  • Pseudogymnoascus destructans is an opportunistic pathogen and affects animals weakened by other causes (see also above).

the first and third scenarios were refuted with the current findings and the second confirmed.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) urges all cave explorers to refrain from entering caves in the affected and adjacent US states in order not to promote disease transmission and not to disturb the bats. At an international symposium in Little Rock , Arkansas , the USFWS announced an action plan on May 19, 2011 to stop the further spread of white nose syndrome.

Web links

Commons : White-Nose Syndrome  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ A. Gargas, MT Trest, M. Christensen, TJ Volk, DS Blehert: Geomyces destructans sp. nov., associated with bat white-nose syndrome. In: Mycotaxon. 2009; 108 (8), 147-154.
  2. ↑ North American bat death toll exceeds 5.5 million from white-nose syndrome (PDF; 111 kB). US Fish and Wildlife Service press release on Bat Conservation International's website , January 17, 2012.
  3. ↑ Whitenosesyndrome.org: "Where is WNS now" in July 2018
  4. ^ First case of white-nose fungus found in Ontario bat colony. ( Memento of May 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) In: Ottawa Citizen. March 21, 2010.
  5. ↑ Mysterious Bat Disease Decimates Colonies: Newly Identified Fungus Implicated In White-nose Syndrome. In: Science Daily. October 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ Jeffrey M. Lorch, Carol U. Meteyer, Melissa J. Behr, Justin G. Boyles, Paul M. Cryan, Alan C. Hicks, Anne E. Ballmann: Experimental infection of bats with Geomyces destructans causes white-nose syndrome . In: Nature . tape 480 , 2011, pp. 376–378 , doi : 10.1038 / nature10590 .
  7. ↑ Winifred F. Frick, Jacob F. Pollock et al.: An Emerging Disease Causes Regional Population Collapse of a Common North American Bat Species . In: Science . tape 329 , 2010, p. 679-682 , doi : 10.1126 / science.1188594 .
  8. ↑ Sébastien J. Puechmaille, Pascal Verdeyroux, Hubert Fuller, Meriadeg Ar Gouilh, Michaël Bekaert, Emma C. Teeling: White-Nose Syndrome Fungus (Geomyces destructans) in Bat, France . In: Emerging Infectious Diseases . tape 16 , 2010, p. 290-293 , doi : 10.3201 / eid1602.091391 .
  9. ↑ Gudrun Wibbelt, Andreas Kurth, David Hellmann, Manfred Weishaar, Alex Barlow, Michael Veith, Julia Prüger, Tamás Görföl, Lena Grosche, Fabio Bontadina, Ulrich Zöphel, Hans-Peter Seidl, Paul M. Cryan, David S. Blehert: White -Nose Syndrome Fungus (Geomyces destructans) in Bats, Europe . In: Emerging Infectious Diseases . tape 16 , 2010, p. 1237-1242 , doi : 10.3201 / eid1608.100002 ( cdc.gov ).
  10. ↑ Marcus Fritze, Sebastien J. Puechmaille: Identifying unusual mortality events in bats: a baseline for bat hibernation monitoring and white-nose syndrome research . In: Mammal Review . tape 48 , no. 3 , 2018, ISSN  1365-2907 , p. 224–228 , doi : 10.1111 / mam.12122 ( wiley.com [accessed January 2, 2019]).
  11. ^ White-Nose Syndrome fungus introduced from Europe to North America . In: Current Biology . tape 25 , no. 6 , March 16, 2015, ISSN  0960-9822 , p. R217 – R219 , doi : 10.1016 / j.cub.2015.01.047 ( sciencedirect.com [accessed January 2, 2019]).
  12. ↑ Mark Kinver: US publishes white-nose bat killer action plan. In: BBC News. May 19, 2011, accessed May 20, 2011 .