Temperature-dependent growth of Geomyces destructans, the fungus that causes bat white-nose syndrome

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent disease estimated to have killed over five million North American bats. Caused by the psychrophilic fungus Geomyces destructans, WNS specifically affects bats during hibernation. We describe temperature-dependent growth performance and morphology for six independent isolates of G. destructans from North America and Europe. Thermal performance curves for all isolates displayed an intermediate peak with rapid decline in performance above the peak. Optimal temperatures for growth were between 12.5 and 15.8 degrees C, and the upper critical temperature for growth was between 19.0 and 19.8 degrees C. Growth rates varied across isolates, irrespective of geographic origin, and above...

Categories: Data; Types: Citation; Tags: Bats, Curve fitting, Fungal diseases, Fungal physiology, Fungal structure, All tags... Germany, Hibernation, Hungary, New York, USA, Pennsylvania, USA, Switzerland, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Virginia, USA, White nose syndrome, Fewer tags