Host persistence or extinction from emerging infectious disease: insights from white-nose syndrome in endemic and invading regions

Predicting species'' fates following the introduction of a novel pathogen is a significant and growing problem in conservation. Comparing disease dynamics between introduced and endemic regions can offer insight into which naive hosts will persist or go extinct, with disease acting as a filter on host communities. We examined four hypothesized mechanisms for host–pathogen persistence by comparing host infection patterns and environmental reservoirs for Pseudogymnoascus destructans (the causative agent of white-nose syndrome) in Asia, an endemic region, and North America, where the pathogen has recently invaded. Although colony sizes of bats and hibernacula temperatures were very similar, both infection prevalence and fungal loads were much lower on bats and in the environment in Asia than North America. These results indicate that transmission intensity and pathogen growth are lower in Asia, likely due to higher host resistance to pathogen growth in this endemic region, and not due to host tolerance, lower transmission due to smaller populations, or lower environmentally driven pathogen growth rate. Disease filtering also appears to be favouring initially resistant species in North America. More broadly, determining the mechanisms allowing species persistence in endemic regions can help identify species at greater risk of extinction in introduced regions, and determine the consequences for disease dynamics and host–pathogen coevolution.     

Body mass and hibernation microclimate may predict bat susceptibility to white‐nose syndrome

In multihost disease systems, differences in mortality between species may reflect variation in host physiology, morphology, and behavior. In systems where the pathogen can persist in the environment, microclimate conditions, and the adaptation of the host to these conditions, may also impact mortality. White‐nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging disease of hibernating bats caused by an environmentally persistent fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans. We assessed the effects of body mass, torpid metabolic rate, evaporative water loss, and hibernaculum temperature and water vapor deficit on predicted overwinter survival of bats infected by P. destructans. We used a hibernation energetics model in an individual‐based model framework to predict the probability of survival of nine bat species at eight sampling sites across North America. The model predicts time until fat exhaustion as a function of species‐specific host characteristics, hibernaculum microclimate, and fungal growth. We fit a linear model to determine relationships with each variable and predicted survival and semipartial correlation coefficients to determine the major drivers in variation in bat survival. We found host body mass and hibernaculum water vapor deficit explained over half of the variation in survival with WNS across species. As previous work on the interplay between host and pathogen physiology and the environment has focused on species with narrow microclimate preferences, our view on this relationship is limited. Our results highlight some key predictors of interspecific survival among western bat species and provide a framework to assess impacts of WNS as the fungus continues to spread into western North America.     

一株耐冷玫红假裸囊菌HD1031的鉴定及其所产纤维素酶的研究

[目的]以纤维素为唯一碳源,从四川省阿坝自治州黄龙沟的高山低温环境中分离筛选产纤维素酶的耐冷菌,并研究菌株的产酶特征.[方法]根据菌株的ITS序列分析及形态特征,对菌株进行鉴定.利用DNS法测定纤维素酶酶活性.[结果]从四川省阿坝自治州黄龙沟的高山腐殖土中筛选出一株产纤维素酶的耐冷菌HD1031,经鉴定该菌为玫红假裸囊菌(Pseudogymnoascus roseus).该菌可在4℃-25℃生长,最适生长温度为16℃-17℃.该菌在以微晶纤维素和玉米芯粉为碳源、硫酸铵和Tryptone为氮源的培养基中,17℃、160 r/min摇瓶发酵8d后产生纤维素酶,其中内切葡聚糖酶酶活为366.67 U/mL,滤纸酶酶活87.6 U/mL,β-葡萄糖苷酶酶活90.8 U/mL,酶最适反应pH为6.0,最适反应温度为50℃.[结论]筛选获得一株产纤维素酶的耐冷菌HD1031,此菌株所产纤维素酶在20℃-40℃下活性较高,对热敏感,具有低温纤维素酶的特点.     

Hibernacula microclimate and declines in overwintering bats during an outbreak of white‐nose syndrome near the northern range limit of infection in North America

We document white‐nose syndrome (WNS), a lethal disease of bats caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), and hibernacula microclimate in New Brunswick, Canada. Our study area represents a more northern region than is common for hibernacula microclimate investigations, providing insight as to how WNS may impact bats at higher latitudes. To determine the impact of the March 2011 arrival of Pd in New Brunswick and the role of hibernacula microclimate on overwintering bat mortality, we surveyed bat numbers at hibernacula twice a year from 2009 to 2015. We also collected data from iButton temperature loggers deployed at all sites and data from HOBO temperature and humidity loggers at three sites. Bat species found in New Brunswick hibernacula include Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown Bat) and M. septentrionalis (Northern Long‐eared Bat), with small numbers of Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat). All known hibernacula in the province were Pd‐positive with WNS‐positive bats by winter 2013. A 99% decrease in the overwintering bat population in New Brunswick was observed between 2011 and 2015. We did not observe P. subflavus during surveys 2013–2015 and the species appears to be extirpated from these sites. Bats did not appear to choose hibernacula based on winter temperatures, but dark zone (zone where no light penetrates) winter temperatures did not differ among our study sites. Winter dark zone temperatures were warmer and less variable than entrance or above ground temperatures. We observed visible Pd growth on hibernating bats in New Brunswick during early winter surveys (November), even though hibernacula temperatures were colder than optimum for in vitro Pd growth. This suggests that cold hibernacula temperatures encountered near the apparent northern range limit for Pd do not sufficiently slow fungal growth to prevent the onset of WNS and associated bat mortality over the winter.     

毁灭柱孢菌中一种人参皂苷Rb1水解酶的纯化及酶学性质研究

通过DEAE-纤维素阴离子交换层析、30％～80％（NH3）2SO3盐析、Sepharose CL-6B凝胶过滤层析和Mono Q HR5／5阴离子交换层析,从毁灭枉孢菌培养液中部分纯化出一种能够水解人参皂苷Rb,的β-葡萄糖苷酶F-I。F—I具有较好的pH稳定性和热稳定性,在pH4．0～11．0范围内和55℃以下表现出良好的β-葡萄糖苷酶活性,其最适pH为5．0,最适温度为55℃。EDTA、Cu^2＋和Zn^2＋对该酶活性有较强的抑制作用。底物专一性分析表明,F—I能高特异性水解人工合成的底物pNPG,还能水解β-葡萄糖苷键连接的二糖如纤维二糖和龙胆二糖,说明此酶为一种β-葡萄糖苷酶。F—I对人参皂苷Rb1表现了较强的水解活性,而对人参皂苷Rb2和Rc的水解活性较低。该酶水解人参皂苷Rb1的路径为Rb1→Rd→F2→C—K。F—I对人参皂苷Rb1的这种高效水解为稀有人参皂苷的工业制备奠定了基础。     

三七锈斑病的病原菌

锈腐病是三七根腐病中发病率最高的一种,其病原是柱孢属真菌Cylindrocarpon sp.。作者认为柱孢属真菌侵染三七根部后引起的症状不一,可引起黑腐、锈裂和锈斑3类不同的症状,本文报道的是引起三七块根锈斑症状的病原菌,对采自云南省文山州砚山县的发病植株进行了症状观察,并进行病原菌的分离培养和显微形态特征观察、致病性测定及r DNA-ITS序列分析,确定该类型的病害是由毁灭柱孢粗孢变种Cylindrocarpon destructans var.crassum侵染引起。     

Major histocompatibility complex variation is similar in little brown bats before and after white‐nose syndrome outbreak

White‐nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), has driven alarming declines in North American hibernating bats, such as little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). During hibernation, infected little brown bats are able to initiate anti‐Pd immune responses, indicating pathogen‐mediated selection on the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes. However, such immune responses may not be protective as they interrupt torpor, elevate energy costs, and potentially lead to higher mortality rates. To assess whether WNS drives selection on MHC genes, we compared the MHC DRB gene in little brown bats pre‐ (Wisconsin) and post‐ (Michigan, New York, Vermont, and Pennsylvania) WNS (detection spanning 2014–2015). We genotyped 131 individuals and found 45 nucleotide alleles (27 amino acid alleles) indicating a maximum of 3 loci (1–5 alleles per individual). We observed high allelic admixture and a lack of genetic differentiation both among sampling sites and between pre‐ and post‐WNS populations, indicating no signal of selection on MHC genes. However, post‐WNS populations exhibited decreased allelic richness, reflecting effects from bottleneck and drift following rapid population declines. We propose that mechanisms other than adaptive immunity are more likely driving current persistence of little brown bats in affected regions.     

抗人参真菌病害的链霉菌的摇瓶发酵试验

比较对植物病原真菌有拮抗活性的 3株放线菌 0 7,0 8,0 9,以其中 1株为发酵对象 ,选择豆饼粉含量 2 %、饴糖含量 1%、玉米淀粉含量 2 %为主的培养基进行发酵 ,综合总糖利用、pH、抑菌活性以确定发酵时间 72h。     

What is winter? Modeling spatial variation in bat host traits and hibernation and their implications for overwintering energetics

White‐nose syndrome (WNS) has decimated hibernating bat populations across eastern and central North America for over a decade. Disease severity is driven by the interaction between bat characteristics, the cold‐loving fungal agent, and the hibernation environment. While we further improve hibernation energetics models, we have yet to examine how spatial heterogeneity in host traits is linked to survival in this disease system. Here, we develop predictive spatial models of body mass for the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and reassess previous definitions of the duration of hibernation of this species. Using data from published literature, public databases, local experts, and our own fieldwork, we fit a series of generalized linear models with hypothesized abiotic drivers to create distribution‐wide predictions of prehibernation body fat and hibernation duration. Our results provide improved estimations of hibernation duration and identify a scaling relationship between body mass and body fat; this relationship allows for the first continuous estimates of prehibernation body mass and fat across the species'' distribution. We used these results to inform a hibernation energetic model to create spatially varying fat use estimates for M. lucifugus. These results predict WNS mortality of M. lucifugus populations in western North America may be comparable to the substantial die‐off observed in eastern and central populations.