Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi found on bat wings may be crucial in combating white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal infection that affects the skin of bats’ wings and faces, putting many bat species in North America at risk of extinction.
Researchers from McMaster University have collected and studied samples from the diverse array of microorganisms, known as the microbiome, on the wings of various bat species in Lillooet, British Columbia. They aim to uncover new insights into how WNS impacts bats and, more importantly, how to prevent it.
Lillooet is particularly interesting to scientists due to its abundant bat species, which thrive in a small region with various ecological environments. Notably, despite the presence of the pathogen in other parts of British Columbia, bats in this area show no signs of infection, despite the fact that WNS is widespread across Canada and the United States.
“We observe a significant variety of bat species in and west of the Rockies,” explains Jianping Xu, a biology professor at McMaster University and lead author of the research published in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
“If there’s hope for the preservation of bat populations, it is likely to be found in western North America, yet we still know very little about the microbiome on the wings of these bats.”
Healthy wings are vital for bats’ survival and reproduction, and the wing microbiome is thought to significantly influence their vulnerability to WNS. Researchers plan to utilize this new information to enhance a probiotic mixture they created in partnership with scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada and Thompson Rivers University.
This probiotic mixture is among several experimental treatments—like vaccines and fumigation—that researchers are investigating as they rush to find effective ways to treat and prevent WNS. The disease has spread aggressively since it was first identified in New York in 2006, leading to the death of millions of bats across eastern North America.
White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus called Pseudogymnoascus destructans (often referred to as pd), which thrives in cooler conditions. It typically affects smaller species, including the little brown bat, northern long-eared bat, and tricolored bat, all of which have experienced drastic population declines of up to 90 percent in areas affected by the disease.
The characteristic fuzzy white fungal growth appears on the muzzles or wings of bats during their hibernation when their metabolic rates and body temperatures drop. WNS disrupts this hibernation, causing bats to wake up and deplete their fat reserves, leading to starvation.
In their research, Xu and his team captured and evaluated 76 bats in Lillooet, identifying thousands of bacteria and fungi in the process, including many new species.
Previously, they isolated over 1,000 bacterial strains from bat wings and found more than a dozen that seem to protect against the fungus that causes WNS. Further experiments indicated that combining four specific bacterial strains enhances their effectiveness against the fungus.
“To create a highly effective probiotic mixture that will work in natural environments against the fungus, we need to understand the bats’ microbiome and the specific organisms present on their wings,” Xu explains.
Over the past three years, the team has applied this probiotic mixture to bat colonies in British Columbia and Washington State, yielding promising outcomes.
“This type of information helps us develop targeted probiotic mixes tailored to specific regions and adjust the microbiome to support bat survival,” says Xu.
