ena-STUDY-UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE-07-11-2018-05:20:14:386-995
Microbiome comparison between white nose syndrome positive and negative bats
As WNS continues to spread throughout North America, questions concerning a bat's natural skin microbiome and the possible impact it could have on the spread and severity of Pd infection remains unanswered. In this study, we use a targeted 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon approach to assess the effect Pd has on the composition and structure of a bat's epidermal bacterial and fungal microbiome. We also classify the resident and transient microbes by comparing bat skin swabs to environmental (substrate) samples in an effort to determine which members of the microbiome are potentially involved in symbiotic host functions such as defense, metabolism, and/or reproduction.
As WNS continues to spread throughout North America, questions concerning a bat's natural skin microbiome and the possible impact it could have on the spread and severity of Pd infection remains unanswered. In this study, we use a targeted 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon approach to assess the effect Pd has on the composition and structure of a bat's epidermal bacterial and fungal microbiome. We also classify the resident and transient microbes by comparing bat skin swabs to environmental (substrate) samples in an effort to determine which members of the microbiome are potentially involved in symbiotic host functions such as defense, metabolism, and/or reproduction.