Data from: Host and pathogen ecology drive the seasonal dynamics of a fungal disease, white-nose syndrome

Seasonal patterns in pathogen transmission can influence the impact of
disease on populations and the speed of spatial spread. Increases in host
contact rates or births drive seasonal epidemics in some systems, but
other factors may occasionally override these influences. White-nose
syndrome, caused by the emerging fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus
destructans, is spreading across North America and threatens several bat
species with extinction. We examined patterns and drivers of seasonal
transmission of P. destructans by measuring infection prevalence and
pathogen loads in six bat species at 30 sites across the eastern United
States. Bats became transiently infected in autumn, and transmission
spiked in early winter when bats began hibernating. Nearly all bats in six
species became infected by late winter when infection intensity peaked. In
summer, despite high contact rates and a birth pulse, most bats cleared
infections and prevalence dropped to zero. These data suggest the dominant
driver of seasonal transmission dynamics was a change in host physiology,
specifically hibernation. Our study is the first, to the best of our
knowledge, to describe the seasonality of transmission in this emerging
wildlife disease. The timing of infection and fungal growth resulted in
maximal population impacts, but only moderate rates of spatial spread.