Probiotic application of symbiotic bacteria isolated from Western bat species onto captive and field bats to prevent White-Nose Syndrome

Wildlife diseases can have drastic consequences for species at an unprecedented rate. Without proper intervention, diseases can threaten population viability and result in species extinction. The delicate balance of an ecosystem is associated with the niche of an individual species and can quickly become unstable upon the introduction of an invasive disease. Managing these diseases is often quite challenging and typically requires immediate action to prevent further ecological loss. The psychrophilic fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, Pd, has devastated populations of several North American bat species. White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a deadly disease that indirectly causes hibernating bat mortality by growing on the cutaneous surfaces of the bat and causing more frequent arousal periods. In addition to physiological imbalances caused by the degradation of wing tissue, the decreased torpor length and associated increased metabolic rate will burn precious fat stores, cause rapid dehydration, and lead to bat mortality. Reducing the severity of the Pdinfection could result in lower mortality rates. Experiments on captive bats and free-flying wild bats were conducted to alter native wing microflora found on Myotis yumanensis, using a prophylactic topical probiotic cocktail. The probiotic contains Pseudomonas bacterial species that were isolated from wings of healthy British Columbia bats and were found to inhibit Pd. The four main objectives of this study were: (1) to develop a technique of applying the anti-Pdmicrobes to Myotis bats roosting in buildings and/or bat boxes; (2) to test whether an microbiome enhanced with anti-Pdmicrobes can be sustained on bat wings; (3) to replicate captive trial tests and procedures in a field trial setting; and (4) to quantify the ability of the probiotic to inhibit Pdgermination/growth on live bat skin. Two captive bat trials at the B.C. Wildlife Park and one lab hibernation trial were conducted. I developed an effective two-step application process of misting a roosting substrate with water, followed by powdered clay containing freeze-dried probiotic cells. Quantitative PCR analyses confirmed successful long term adherence of the probiotic cells to bat boxes, and successful transfer of these microbes to bats’ wings. The probiotic was field-trialed at summer maternity roosts in the Greater Vancouver area, successfully applying probiotic at building and bat box roosts, and through swab sampling of captures of free-flying bats, determined the probiotic was successfully transferred. In a laboratory iii experiment, I placed probiotic bacteria and Pd onto separated bat patagia, with the goal of adapting and refining tissue explant chamber technology to keep bat skin cells partially alive on which to test the interaction of Pd and probiotic cells. This probiotic tool provides one potential prevention measure for reducing the spread, or at minimum the severity, of WNS in the Pacific Northwest of North America.