Understanding how context (host species, environmental conditions, etc.) drives disease susceptibility is an essential goal of disease ecology. In bat white-nose syndrome (WNS), susceptibility varies widely among bat species. We hypothesized that species-specific host-pathogen interactions may partly explain these varying disease outcomes. We characterized bat and pathogen transcriptomes in paired samples from the wings of 24 bats infected with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, and compared host-pathogen interactions among tolerant Myotis myotis, susceptible Myotis lucifugus, and less-susceptible Eptesicus fuscus. Gene expression by P. destructans was strongly conserved among host species, and between saprophytic contexts (superficial growth on bat wings) and pathogenic contexts (growth in lesions on the same wings). In contrast, host response varied: Myotis myotis and M. lucifugus exhibited systemic but dissimilar responses to infection, while Eptesicus fuscus up-regulated a remarkably localized response. Our results suggest potential phylogenetic determinants of response to WNS, and inform further studies of context-dependent host-pathogen interactions.
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