While white-nose syndrome (WNS) has decimated hibernating bat populations in the Nearctic, species from the Palearctic appear to cope better with the fungal skin infection causing WNS. This has encouraged multiple hypotheses on the mechanisms leading to differential survival of species exposed to the same pathogen. To facilitate intercontinental comparisons, we proposed a novel pathogenesis-based grading scheme consistent with WNS diagnosis histopathology criteria. UV light-guided collection was used to obtain single biopsies from Nearctic and Palearctic bat wing membranes non-lethally. The proposed scheme scores eleven grades associated with WNS on histopathology. Given weights reflective of grade severity, the sum of findings from an individual results in weighted cumulative WNS pathology score. The probability of finding fungal skin colonisation and single, multiple or confluent cupping erosions increased with increase in Pseudogymnoascus destructans load. Increasing fungal load mimicked progression of skin infection from epidermal surface colonisation to deep dermal invasion. Similarly, the number of UV-fluorescent lesions increased with increasing weighted cumulative WNS pathology score, demonstrating congruence between WNS-associated tissue damage and extent of UV fluorescence. In a case report, we demonstrated that UV-fluorescence disappears within two weeks of euthermy. Change in fluorescence was coupled with a reduction in weighted cumulative WNS pathology score, whereby both methods lost diagnostic utility. While weighted cumulative WNS pathology scores were greater in the Nearctic than Palearctic, values for Nearctic bats were within the range of those for Palearctic species. Accumulation of wing damage probably influences mortality in affected bats, as demonstrated by a fatal case of Myotis daubentonii with natural WNS infection and healing in Myotis myotis. The proposed semi-quantitative pathology score provided good agreement between experienced raters, showing it to be a powerful and widely applicable tool for defining WNS severity.
- MeSH
- Ascomycota genetika fyziologie MeSH
- Chiroptera metabolismus mikrobiologie MeSH
- DNA fungální genetika MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- kožní nemoci mikrobiologie patologie MeSH
- křídla zvířecí mikrobiologie patologie účinky záření MeSH
- lineární modely MeSH
- optické zobrazování MeSH
- stupeň závažnosti nemoci MeSH
- ultrafialové záření MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
The composition of wax esters (WE) in the fur of adult greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis), either healthy or suffering from white nose syndrome (WNS) caused by the psychrophilic fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was investigated by high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis in the positive ion mode. Profiling of lipid classes showed that WE are the most abundant lipid class, followed by cholesterol esters, and other lipid classes, e.g., triacylglycerols and phospholipids. WE abundance in non-polar lipids was gender-related, being higher in males than in females; in individuals suffering from WNS, both male and female, it was higher than in healthy counterparts. WE were dominated by species containing 18:1 fatty acids. Fatty alcohols were fully saturated, dominated by species containing 24, 25, or 26 carbon atoms. Two WE species, 18:1/18:0 and 18:1/20:0, were more abundant in healthy bats than in infected ones.
- MeSH
- Chiroptera anatomie a histologie metabolismus mikrobiologie MeSH
- hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
- lipidy analýza MeSH
- mastné alkoholy analýza MeSH
- mastné kyseliny analýza MeSH
- mykózy mikrobiologie patologie veterinární MeSH
- nos mikrobiologie patologie MeSH
- sexuální faktory MeSH
- vlasy, chlupy chemie mikrobiologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Evropa MeSH
There has been growing interest in the study and conservation of bats throughout the world. Declines in their absolute numbers in recent decades are due, in part, to the fact that insectivorous bats may bioaccumulate toxic pollutants. The purpose of the present study was to quantify heavy metal concentrations in kidney, liver, and pectoral muscle samples in relation to metallothionein (MT) levels. In total, 106 bats belonging to 11 European species (i.e., Myotis myotis, Myotis daubentonii, Myotis brandtii, Myotis nattereri, Myotis emarginatus, Myotis mystacinus, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Pipistrellus nathusii, Pipistrellus pygmaeus, Nyctalus noctulla, Eptesicus serotinus) were used for the study. The highest MT levels were found in Pipistrellus pipistrellus. High MT levels were also found in juvenile bats and aquatic-insect-foraging species. Cadmium was found only in the liver and kidney of Myotis myotis, except for a solitary finding in Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Myotis myotis juveniles had significantly higher liver and kidney Zn concentrations than adults. Interestingly, the liver Pb concentration was approximately two times higher in females than in males of Myotis myotis. The same gender difference was found for kidney Zn concentration in Pipistrellus pipistrellus. The present study confirms exposure of vespertilionid bats to toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cd) in the Czech Republic and provides data on the essential element Zn and the metal-binding protein MT in bats foraging over aquatic, aquatic and terrestrial, and terrestrial habitats.
- MeSH
- chemické látky znečišťující vodu analýza MeSH
- Chiroptera metabolismus MeSH
- játra chemie MeSH
- ledviny chemie MeSH
- metalothionein analýza MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí MeSH
- svaly chemie MeSH
- těžké kovy analýza MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
