White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that is caused by a fungal pathogen known as Pseudogymnoascus destructans. White-nose syndrome is currently causing the death of millions of bats across North America. This disease invades the skin of hibernating bats, along with their wings. It then causes the bats to wake up during the winter which in turn uses up their fat reserves much faster leading to starvation. The death of bats poses a huge problem, as bats are the consumers of insects. Less bats means more insects, this means huge agricultural losses. In a study done by Hamm and colleagues, the group attempted to see if Actinobacteria strains could create antifungal activity towards P. destructans. Several bacterial isolates showed antagonist activity towards P. destructans. Isolates of the genus Streptomyces were able to display antifungal activity towards P. destructans. Probiotics show great potential as treatments for diseases found in both humans and animals. Continued research can bring forth the possible cure for this bat killing disease.
Figure 1. Table displaying the number of isolates in different cave systems.
Original article: Hamm PS, Caimi NA, Northup DE, Valdez EW, Buecher DC, Dunlap CA, Labeda DP, Lueschow S, Porras-Alfaro A. 2017. Western bats as a reservoir of novel Streptomyces species with antifungal activity. Appl Environ Microbiol 83:e03057-16. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.03057-16
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