Had a great time chatting to people about bat blood today at #amsabs2026 We're looking at how seasonal changes in immune parameters may affect the health of Australian microbats, specifically regarding their ability to defend themselves against the potentially lethal White-nose syndrome.

Excited to share our recent paper on immune function during torpor in the Australian eastern bent-winged bat 🦇 White blood cell counts are suppressed during torpor, but can largely be restored within just 30 minutes after arousal! Truly amazing animals. journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Emergence from torpor rapidly elevates suppressed blood immune parameters in a bat species hibernating in a moderate climate

Summary: Torpor bouts and season alter immune cell dynamics and innate humoral antibacterial activity in a bat species hibernating in mild winter climates, offering new insights into energy–immunity t...

journals.biologists.com

Had a fantastic time at #WACI2026 in Hobart! Very exciting to meet the amazing Tonie Rocke and chat about ways to mitigate potential impacts of #WNS and other diseases in our Aussie bats. Thanks @wildimmunity.bsky.social and Team for a fantastic wildlife immunology conference!

New Wildlife Health Australia guidelines on Australia’s response to White-nose Syndrome (WNS) are out 🦇 Really pleased to have worked with Keren Cox-Witton and colleagues at WHA on this and to have contributed to the updated version! wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/Re...

First paper of my PhD just got published! Want to find out how to make your own bat cells from field samples? Check it out! 👉 peerj.com/articles/20222 Thanks to my wonderful co-authors @labrannelly.bsky.social, Chris, Tomás, @nicholaswu.bsky.social @jhufschmid.bsky.social and Ellen 🦇

Congratulations to Dr Anna Langguth, winner of the Student Award at this year‘s WDA-A conference for her presentation on zymosan challenge trials in eastern bent-wing bats. @alangguth.bsky.social #wdaa2025

PhD student Anna Langguth presenting on immune responses to challenge with Zymosan in eastern bent-wing bats at #WDAA2025

You read that right- there are now 1,500 official bat species known to science! The Bioko pipistrelle (𝘗𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘢) was found on Bioko Island in Africa’s Equatorial New Guinea by former BCI Student Scholar Dr. Laura Torrent and her colleagues.

Finished processing all 776 blood slides made throughout my PhD🥳 Samples were collected from southern and eastern bent-winged bats (Miniopterus orianae bassanii and oceanensis) since May 2023 and will be used to learn more about seasonal variation in immune parameters in these species~

Very excited to be able to present a summary of my PhD research at the #ibrc2025 My research on the immune systems of Australian bats at risk of white-nose syndrome suggests our native species may be vulnerable to this devastating pathogen - as always, more research is needed!

Tagged along for a short survey of a potential bat roost with German colleagues (Competence Center for Bat Conservation Saxony-Anhalt) in southern Harz yesterday. Came across a brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus), a naturally inquisitive species known for often being first colonisers new roosts.

Looking forward to an exciting few weeks working with Gábor Czirjak's lab in Berlin! We'll be testing the response of Australian and German bat wing fibroblasts to Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus causing White Nose Syndrome. 🦇🍄

🚨🎥 What's all the fuzz about? 🎥🚨 My contribution to the recent International WDA conference showcasing the story behind the animals I work with - and their possible susceptibility to White Nose Syndrome 🦇 youtu.be/2ABKmh2lI34?... #universityofmelbourne #whitenosesyndrome #scienceanimation #wda2024

What's all the Fuzz about?

YouTube video by WildArtVenture

youtu.be