White-nose disease causative agent Pseudogymnoascus destructans present in Romania and Moldova

• DOI: 10.14709/barbj.16.1.2023.04
• Publication Date: 2025-03-25T19:22:00Z
• Authors: Szilárd-Lehel Bücs; Csaba Jére; István Csősz; Irina Pocora; Viorel Pocora; Alexandra-Elena T...; Dragoș Bălășoiu; Victoria Nistreanu; Vladislav Caldari; Alina Larion; Nicola M. Fischer; Sébastien J. Puec...

While the presence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (the causative agent of whitenose disease) is widely known in European locations, no detailed study has been carried out in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. In the period of 2014-2018, we sampled 21 locations (caves and mine galleries) in the two countries. These are important hibernacula and maternity sites for several bat species, mostly for Myotis myotis and M. blythii. Analyses identified seven sites positive for P. destructans, six in Romania and one in the Republic of Moldova, with no associated mass mortality, as is generally the case in Europe. Highest prevalence of positive samples comes from the Leșului cave (68% out of 16 samples), which is consistent with the cave’s complex structure and movement of individuals during arousal periods in winter. All positive samples from bats come from M. myotis, with one exception, a M. blythii specimen from the Republic of Moldova. Given the limited number of samples and sites analysed, the detection of P. destructans in at least seven sites suggests that the fungus is rather common in several parts of Romania and the Republic of Moldova.