Hamilton researchers are part of a team studying bats’ wing fungus to help them ‘survive and thrive’

A McMaster University researcher hoping to “help bats survive and thrive” said he and his colleagues had to become nocturnal for a few nights to conduct newly published research.

Fungal biologist Jianping Xu, a professor in Hamilton University’s biology department, is part of a team studying the bacteria and fungi that grow on the wings of bats.

Ultimately, Xu said, this work could help scientists learn which microorganisms inhibit its growth Pseudogymnoascus destructansa fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats – “the largest and most devastating disease in mammals caused by a fungus.”

According to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, a partnership of veterinary colleges and the British Columbia Animal Health Centre, white-nose syndrome is believed to have killed more than six million bats since 2006.

The fungus infects the wings of bats and then grows on their wings and snouts, Xu said. The infection can wake bats from hibernation in the winter, causing them to use more energy than they budgeted for and then starve.

Teams identify ‘cocktail’ of bacteria to inhibit fungi

To investigate the bacteria and fungi on bat wings, Xu’s team went to Lillooet, BC. That province has the most diverse population of bats in Canada, Xu said. Officials detected Pseudogymnoascus destructans there last year.

“If they are affected (by white-nose syndrome), it will probably be much worse than in eastern North America,” Xu said.

For five days, Xu’s team slept during the day and set up six-by-nine-meter nets to catch bats all night. Working with conservationists, the researchers checked the nets every 10 minutes. When they caught a bat, they put it in a cloth bag to warm and calm down. The researchers then measured the bat, identified its species, age and sex, and swabbed its wings.

Back in the lab, Xu’s team analyzed the samples and grew the bacteria. Xu said they had found dozens of species that could inhibit the disease Pseudogymnoascus destructans in a petri dish.

According to an article co-authored by Xu and McMaster researcher Chadabhorn Insuk, which was published in the journal Microbiology SpectrumLittle was previously known about bats’ microbiomes, and now their knowledge could help the creatures.

Working with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada) and Thompson Rivers University, Xu’s team has identified a “cocktail” of four bacteria that work well to inhibit the harmful fungus and can live harmlessly on the wings of bats, he said.

“We believe this approach will be much more effective than other approaches, including vaccination, fumigation, chemical or physical treatment.”

Studying the diet of bats in Newfoundland

Over the past two years, they have been working in BC and Washington to apply the cocktail to natural and artificial bat roosts, and then monitor the results.

The team found that the bacteria growing on bats vary significantly by species and location, Xu said.

For example, there is one that is abundant in Lilloeet, but not elsewhere. He said it will be important to understand which naturally occurring bacteria inhibit the fungus, because then scientists would harness them without disrupting the native environment.

“It’s a balance because we’re trying to make the cocktail effective… but not have as much impact on the microbiome.”

Xu said future steps in this research include studying whether genetics influences bats’ microbiomes, and how similar their wing and gut microbiomes are. His team is also studying the diet of bats in Newfoundland to find out whether changing what they eat would protect against white-nose syndrome.