Human Practices

Introduction

White-Nose Syndrome is a fungal infection spanning across the United States of America that infects bat species. Since 2016, this infection has spread at a rapid pace across Michigan, increasing the mortality of bat populations throughout the state. As a student-led organization, the Alma College iGEM team has used skills such as knowledge, resourcefulness, and community involvement to address this fatal disease.

Figure 1: The rapid spread of White-Nose Syndrome since 2020 and the affected United States counties1.

According to the United States National Park Service, hibernation is a term used to describe a form of dormancy2. During hibernation, animals reduce metabolism, lower heart rate, and decrease body temperature. A fungal infection caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans targets the bats' nervous system while in the vulnerable state of hibernation.

Initially, the goal of the iGEM team was to produce a spray that could be directly applied to bats' skin to prevent collagen degradation. The Alma College iGEM team reached out to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to ask about recommendations to implement this project. The DNR agreed that “prior to deploying a method like [the spray] to field trials, [lab testing] is required to determine the efficacy of the treatment on the fungus and bats, ensuring there are no deleterious impacts to the bats by using a spray method of application.” When implementing the project in the future, the DNR recommended methods to simulate hibernation conditions in the lab and apply the solution directly to the fungus rather than bat skin. Published literature supported methods to simulate hibernation conditions in a laboratory setting4, as per the recommendation given by the DNR.

The DNR would likely implement the technique developed through the current project in the form of a spray directly to cavern walls to diminish the growth of the fungus. The spray will be manufactured by E. coli engineered to secrete serine protease inhibitors. Bats prefer damp, dark habitats like caves, old mine shafts, abandoned barns, or bridges; creating a spray could protect these niches for various bat species. While many groups are working on methods to eradicate White-Nose Syndrome within bats, there are yet no widely accepted or available treatments. The next steps for the current project include further testing and eventual application to natural caves.

Figure 2: Michigan's Department of Natural Resources emblem.
Figure 3: Northern Brown Bat infected with White-Nose Syndrome, with fungus growth on its nose3.

Citations

  1. White-nose Syndrome map. FWS.gov. Available here.
  2. Hibernation: Nature's nap time (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. Available here.
  3. White-nose syndrome faqs (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. Available here.
  4. Meierhofer, M.B. et al. (2021) Ten-year projection of white-nose syndrome disease dynamics at the southern leading-edge of infection in North America, Proceedings. Biological sciences. Available here.