White-Nose Syndrome Confirmed in Italy: A Preliminary Assessment of Its Occurrence in Bat Species.

ABSTRACT: Although no mass mortality has been recorded so far, the precise demographic effect of white-nose syndrome (WNS) on European bats still remains to be ascertained. Following the first isolation of P. destructans in Italy, further surveys were performed to assess the distribution of the fungus in NW Italy and its effects on bats. Data were collected from March 2019 to April 2020 at sites used for hibernation (six sites) and/or for reproduction (four sites) in Piedmont and Aosta Valley. A total of 138 bats, belonging to 10 species, were examined to identify clinical features possibly related to the fungal presence. Culture from swabs and the molecular identification of isolates confirmed the presence of P. destructans in bats from five sites, including two maternal roosts. Derma

SUBMITTER: Garzoli L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8000523 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature