Spring Break
Fungus endangers U.S. bat colonies
Issue date: 4/30/09
Bat populations along the east coast of the United States have been declining sharply in recent years, most likely due to a mysterious fungus.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed a moratorium on human activities in caves as of March 26 in 17 states, which are home to bats with a deadly and poorly understood condition which has been termed White-Nose Syndrome, for the characteristic white fungus that grows on the noses of infected bats.
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) causes up to 90 percent mortality in some infected caves, and overall more than a 75 percent population decline over two-year periods at infected sites. This translates into the death of hundreds of thousands of bats. First recorded in upstate New York during the winter of 2005-2006, WNS has spread quickly, infecting caves from Vermont to Virginia.
In addition to being transmitted from bat to bat, the infection has been spreading between caves that are geographically isolated from each other in a pattern known as "leapfrogging," which suggests cavers may be aiding the transmission of the disease between caves. This hypothesis is further supported by the fact that many of the infected caves are popular caving sites.
The fungus that has been collected from bats presenting with symptoms was first described in October 2008, but more research is needed to correlate the fungus to the deaths, as well as produce a timely solution in ending bat demise.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has expressed concern that research efforts in natural caves will merit more risk than helpful results for bats. Scientists in Wisconsin have been replicating cave conditions to determine the experimental rate at which the fungus is transmitted from cave to cave and bat to bat.
Cave condition replications are currently a good alternative to performing research in natural caves when research into developing human and environmental disinfectant protocols have not yet been standardized.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed a moratorium on human activities in caves as of March 26 in 17 states, which are home to bats with a deadly and poorly understood condition which has been termed White-Nose Syndrome, for the characteristic white fungus that grows on the noses of infected bats.
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) causes up to 90 percent mortality in some infected caves, and overall more than a 75 percent population decline over two-year periods at infected sites. This translates into the death of hundreds of thousands of bats. First recorded in upstate New York during the winter of 2005-2006, WNS has spread quickly, infecting caves from Vermont to Virginia.
In addition to being transmitted from bat to bat, the infection has been spreading between caves that are geographically isolated from each other in a pattern known as "leapfrogging," which suggests cavers may be aiding the transmission of the disease between caves. This hypothesis is further supported by the fact that many of the infected caves are popular caving sites.
The fungus that has been collected from bats presenting with symptoms was first described in October 2008, but more research is needed to correlate the fungus to the deaths, as well as produce a timely solution in ending bat demise.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has expressed concern that research efforts in natural caves will merit more risk than helpful results for bats. Scientists in Wisconsin have been replicating cave conditions to determine the experimental rate at which the fungus is transmitted from cave to cave and bat to bat.
Cave condition replications are currently a good alternative to performing research in natural caves when research into developing human and environmental disinfectant protocols have not yet been standardized.
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