Asian bat skin mycobiome maintains defense against during hibernation.

Since its discovery in 2006, white-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus , has devastated North American bat populations (W. F. Frick, J. F. Pollock, A. C. Hicks, K. E. Langwig, et al., Science 329:679-682, 2010, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1188594). In contrast, certain Asian bats, such as (greater horseshoe bat), exhibit significant resistance, prompting research into the mechanisms behind this resilience. A recent study by H. Leng, A. Li, Z. Li, J. R. Hoyt, et al. (Microbiol Spectr 13:e02233-24, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02233-24) explored fungal community dynamics on skin and in their cave environment during hibernation using ITS amplicon sequencing and ecological modeling. The authors identified as a dominant, potentially protective skin-associated fungus. This work provides fresh insights into microbe-mediated resistance in bats and highlights microbiome-based strategies as a promising avenue for WNS mitigation.