Development and application of novel immunological approaches to chiropteran immunology

Emerging infectious diseases induced by fungi have become a growing threat for wildlife health. In North American cave-hibernating bat species the psychrophilic fungus Pseudogymnascus destructans (Pd) is associated with the disease called White-nose syndrome (WNS) causing significant population decline by high mortality rates. In contrast European bat species are only mildly affected with the absence of mortality. Differences in epidemiology and pathology indicate an evolution of tolerance mechanisms towards Pd in European bats. We compared for the first time the proteomic profile of blood plasma of healthy and Pd colonized European Myotis myotis and North American Myotis lucifugus in order to identify patho-physiological changes during WNS. Expression analyses of plasma proteins revealed no significant differences between healthy and Pd colonized Myotis myotis whereas in Myotis lucifugus a differential expression was observed. We could identify differential expressed proteins for acute phase response, constitutive and general immunity, oxidative stress control, metabolism, exosomes and desmosomes suggesting a systemic response against Pd infection. Differences in the plasma proteomic profile between European and North American bat species during WNS are supporting the hypothesis that European bats have evolved tolerance mechanisms towards infection with Pd