Enhanced Surveillance for White-Nose Syndrome in Bats

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Publication Date

3-1-2012

Publication Title

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Volume Number

18

Issue Number

3

Abstract

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease in bats that was first described near Albany, New York, USA, in February 2006 (1). The causative agent, Geomyces destructans, is a psychrophilic (cold-loving) fungus that infects the skin of bats and leads to depletion of their fat stores during hibernation (2). WNS has caused dramatic cumulative mortality rates (up to 99%) in some winter hibernacula and has killed millions of bats among 6 cave-roosting species in 19 central and eastern US states and 4 Canadian provinces (3). In addition, the fungus has been identified in 2 additional US states, although bat deaths have not been associated with it. No evidence has been found that WNS is transmitted from bats to humans, although humans may play a role in translocation of the fungus between caves (4,5).

Keywords

Bats, Fungi, Hibernation, Wildlife diseases, Caves

Document Type

Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1803.111751

Language

English

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