Deadly Fungal Disease Killing Bats Across the United States is on the Move

White-nose syndrome, first documented in New York during the winter of 2006-2007, is a disease that affects hibernating bats. The deadly disease features a white fungus that grows on the muzzle of the bats, and it has spread throughout the eastern U.S.

The disease primarily affects bats in the eastern United States, but it has spread as far as Oklahoma and parts of Canada. White-nose syndrome has killed over 5.5 million bats since 2006 in the U.S. and Canada combined. Biologists are worried about the recent documentations of the disease, as it has spread to 25 states.

Wildlife biologists previously documented uncharacteristic behavior of bats when they're infected with the disease, such as flying outside during the day and clustering near the entrances of hibernacula. They are unsure how to mitigate the spread of the deadly disease, which they believe will affect the ecosystem because of bats' crucial role in acting as a natural pest-control by feasting on certain insects. The loss of bats could contribute to $3.7 billion in losses for the agricultural industry.

There are a number of bat species affected by white-nose syndrome, including big brown bats, eastern small-footed bats, gray bats, Indiana bats, little brown bats, northern long-eared bats, tricolored bats, cave bats, and southeastern bats. More than half of the 45 bat species rely on winter hibernation for survival, and if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service disease management plan doesn't prove effective, then some species can become endangered or even extinct. And the future forecast is looking gloomy.

"Some of the bats, especially this species (cave bats), we find some of them dead. But, we really expect a lot of the deaths to occur next year - next winter," said Rick Toomey, a scientist with the Resource Management Division at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, via this Fox News article.

Hopefully before next winter, the $1.6 million in grants announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March of 2012 will pay their dividends in finding ways to manage the deadly disease. Additionally, the "National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats" will hopefully strategize and propose promising measures to control the spread.

You can read more about white-nose syndrome in bats in this Washington Post article and on the White-nose Syndrome website.