Meeting Abstract
White-nose syndrome, an invasive cutaneous fungal infection afflicting North American bats, has been shown to cause an increase in the frequency of euthermic arousals from torpor during hibernation. During such rewarming periods, oxygen consumption and metabolic rate increase dramatically, which may result in a surge of reactive oxygen species. To determine whether white-nose syndrome has an affect on cellular oxidative stress in hibernating little brown bats (Myotis lucifigus), we compared levels of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase, percent oxidized glutathione, and markers of oxidative damage such as lipid peroxide end products and protein carbonyls in the liver tissue of infected and uninfected bats at three time points during the winter. Additionally, we used skin temperature data collected throughout hibernation to examine whether stress indicators correlate with time since last arousal at the point of euthanasia. We expect that little brown bats with white-nose syndrome will show greater levels of oxidative stress than the control bats over the course of hibernation, due to increased frequency of arousal and the presence of an infection, which may redirect resources away from antioxidant defense. This will provide greater insight into how white-nose syndrome affects the physiology of this species.
