title: Interruption to cutaneous gas exchange is not a likely mechanism of WNS-associated death in bats.
abstract: Pseudogymnoascus destructans is the causative fungal agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging fungal-borne epizootic. WNS is responsible for a catastrophic decline of hibernating bats in North America, yet we have limited understanding of the physiological interactions between pathogen and host. Pseudogymnoascus destructans severely damages wings and tail membranes, by causing dryness that leads to whole sections crumbling off. Four possible mechanisms have been proposed by which infection could lead to dehydration; in this study, we tested one: P. destructans infection could cause disruption to passive gas-exchange pathways across the wing membranes, thereby causing a compensatory increase in water-intensive pulmonary respiration. We hypothesized that total evaporative water loss would be greater when passive gas exchange was inhibited. We found that bats did not lose more water when passive pathways were blocked. This study provides evidence against the proposed proximal mechanism that disruption to passive gas exchange causes dehydration and death to WNS-infected bats.
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA.
authors.forename: Charleve S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA jgboyles@siu.edu.
authors.forename: Justin G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Boyles
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001203:Ascomycota; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000502:physiology*; D003681:Dehydration / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009181:Mycoses / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012119:Respiration; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D064348:Torpor; D014870:Water Loss, Insensible; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide
keywords: Dehydration; Gas exchange; Pseudogymnoascus destructans; White-nose syndrome