title: Electrolyte depletion in white-nose syndrome bats.
abstract: The emerging wildlife disease white-nose syndrome is causing widespread mortality in hibernating North American bats. White-nose syndrome occurs when the fungus Geomyces destructans infects the living skin of bats during hibernation, but links between infection and mortality are underexplored. We analyzed blood from hibernating bats and compared blood electrolyte levels to wing damage caused by the fungus. Sodium and chloride tended to decrease as wing damage increased in severity. Depletion of these electrolytes suggests that infected bats may become hypotonically dehydrated during winter. Although bats regularly arouse from hibernation to drink during winter, water available in hibernacula may not contain sufficient electrolytes to offset winter losses caused by disease. Damage to bat wings from G. destructans may cause life-threatening electrolyte imbalances.
authors.affiliation: United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA. cryanp@usgs.gov
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cryan
authors.forename: Carol Uphoff
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Meteyer
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Blehert
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lorch
authors.forename: DeeAnn M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Reeder
authors.forename: Gregory G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verant
authors.forename: Robin E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Kevin T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Castle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002685:Chiroptera; D006605:Hibernation / Q000502:physiology; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D009181:Mycoses / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology