Shifting disease dynamics following the invasion of an emerging wildlife pathogen

The introduction of pathogens to new regions can have significant impacts to human, agricultural and wildlife health. Introduced pathogens can change and adapt to new hosts (i.e. the species that they infect) and to new habitats. These factors can ultimately influence their impact on host populations over time. Understanding the changes that occur following invasion allows for more effective strategies to conserve threatened species. In my dissertation, I explore an introduced fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome in North American bats. My results revealed that species that contribute the most to pathogen transmission (i.e. the spread of pathogen to a new host) are also the species that experience the most severe disease and greatest mortality, which reduces their contribution over time. Additionally, I found that pathogen growth rates and the harm the pathogen causes to hosts has declined since the introduction to North America. I also observed high variation in pathogen growth rates after invasion and found that these were associated with bat population responses. These findings highlight the multiple ways disease processes change following pathogen invasion, which is critical information for effectively allocating resources to species imperiled by infectious diseases.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biological Sciences

Department dc:contributor.department

Biological Sciences

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Laggan, Nichole Andrea

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Hoyt, Joseph R.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Duggal, Nisha
• Belden, Lisa Kay
• Langwig, Kate Elizabeth

• emerging infectious disease
• environmental reservoir
• pathogen virulence
• wildlife disease ecology
• white-nose syndrome
• Pseudogymnoascus destructans

Statement dc:rights

• Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:44387

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/136505