Two distinct host-specialized fungal species cause white-nose disease in bats.

ABSTRACT: The emergence of infectious diseases, particularly those caused by fungal pathogens, poses serious threats to public health, wildlife and ecosystem stability¹. Host-fungus interactions and environmental factors have been extensively examined^2-4. However, the role of genetic variability in pathogens is often less well-studied, even for diseases such as white-nose in bats, which has caused one of the highest disease-driven death tolls documented in nonhuman mammals⁵. Previous research on white-nose disease has primarily focused on variations in disease outcomes attributed to host traits or environmental conditions^6-8, but has neglected pathogen variability. Here we leverage an extensive reference collection of 5,479 fungal isolates from 27 countrie

SUBMITTER: Fischer NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12222008 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature