An invasive fungus that colonizes the skin of hibernating bats with deadly consequences is a stealthy invader that uses multiple strategies to slip into the small mammals’ skin cells and quietly manipulate them to aid its own survival. The fungus, which causes the disease white-nose syndrome, has devastated several North American species over the last 18 years.
Scientists have learned much about the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, since it was first documented in a New York cave in 2006, including where it thrives, its distribution, and clinical features. But exactly how the fungus initiates its infection has remained a “black box — a big mystery,” says Bruce Klein, MD, professor and chief, Division of Infectious Diseases That dearth of understanding has made it challenging to develop countermeasures to treat or prevent infections.
Now, Klein and Marcos Isidoro-Ayza, a PhD candidate at Klein’s lab, have for the first time been able to study in detail how the fungus gains entry and covertly hijacks cells called keratinocytes at the surface of bats’ skin.
The feat is detailed in the July 12, 2024, issue of Science.
The above is an excerpt from “A stealth fungus has decimated North American bats but scientists may be a step closer to treating white-nose syndrome,” published by the University of Wisconsin–Madison on July 11, 2024. Read the full article.