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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service White-Nose Syndrome The devastating disease of hibernating in July 2015

What is white-nose syndrome? numbers in and around caves and White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a mines. WNS is estimated to have disease affecting hibernating bats. killed more than 5.5 million bats in the Named for a white that appears Northeast and Canada. In some areas, on the muzzle and other parts of bats, 90 to 100 percent of bats have died. WNS is associated with extensive mortality of these in eastern Many non-governmental organizations, and mid-western North America. First universities and state and federal documented in in the winter agencies are investigating the of 2006-2007, WNS has spread rapidly cause of the deaths. A newly across the eastern and midwestern discovered fungus, Pseudogymnoascus United States and eastern Canada, destructans, has been demonstrated and evidence of the fungus that causes to cause WNS. Scientists are WNS has been detected as far south as investigating the dynamics of fungal Mississippi. infection and transmission and are developing ways to control it. Bats with WNS act strangely during cold winter months, including flying What bats are being affected? outside during the day and clustering More than half of the 47 bat near the entrances of caves and other von Linden/NYDEC Ryan living in the United States hibernate Eastern small-footed bat with white areas. Bats have been to survive the winter. Seven cave- fungus on nose, arms and wings found sick and dying in unprecedented hibernating bats, including two and one threatened species, have been confirmed with been detected with no confirmation WNS. The fungus has been detected of disease: on an additional five species, including n Eastern red bat ( borealis) one endangered species, with no n Southeastern bat (Myotis confirmation of disease. austroriparius) n Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris Bat species confirmed with WNS: noctivagans) n (Eptesicus fuscus) n Rafinesque’s big-eared bat n Eastern small-footed bat (Myotis (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) leibii) n big-eared bat n Gray bat (Myotis grisescens) (Corynorhinus townsendii endangered virginianus) endangered n bat (Myotis sodalis) endangered Federally listed species found in n Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) the affected area that have not yet n Northern long-eared bat (Myotis been confirmed with WNS or fungal septentrionalis) threatened infection: n Tri-colored bat (Perimyotis n Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus Jeremy Coleman/USFWS subflavus) townsendii ingens) endangered Fish and Wildlife

Department biologists remove the Bat species on which In Europe, 13 bat species have been gate to conduct a winter survey at Pseudogymnoascus destructans has confirmed with WNS or the fungus. Plymouth Cave researchers have discovered new unrelated bat disease agents. n Researchers have made significant strides in understanding disease response of hibernating bats and factors that influence bat vulnerability to WNS. n Studies of natural bacteria and skin chemistry of bats have led to new lines of research for treatments using biological or non-chemical agents for bats at risk of WNS infection. We are developing a process for field testing the most promising of these treatments. n Other treatments under investigation include changing temperature and humidity in hibernation areas to slow fungal growth or improve bat survival, and vaccines to boost resistance to WNS. n Researchers are looking into molecular and genetic tools to reduce the ability of P. destructans to cause disease.

Research Funding From 2008 to 2015 the Service has Where is it now? source, spread and cause of bat deaths allocated $32 million to meet high White-nose syndrome has continued associated with WNS and develop priority needs for research and field to spread rapidly. As of July 2015, management strategies to minimize the support. This includes more than bats with WNS were confirmed in 26 impacts of WNS. states: $24 million in grants to other federal agencies, academic institutions, non- n Alabama n Missouri WNS National Plan governmental organizations and state n Arkansas n In 2011, the Service and a team of natural resources agencies. n n New Jersey federal and state agencies and tribes n Delaware n New York prepared a national white-nose For more information on recent n n North Carolina syndrome management plan to address research developments see n Illinois n  the threat to hibernating bats. The plan www.WhiteNoseSyndrome.org n Iowa n Pennsylvania is a framework for coordinating and n Indiana n South Carolina managing the national investigation Federal Relay Service n Kentucky n  and response to WNS. The National for the deaf and hard-of-hearing n n Vermont Plan for Assisting States, Federal 1 800/877 8339 n Maryland n Virginia Agencies, and Tribes in Managing n n West Virginia White-Nose Syndrome in Bats outlines U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service n n actions necessary for state, federal and tribal coordination, and provides an 1 800/344 WILD and five Canadian provinces: http://www.fws.gov n New Brunswick overall strategy for investigating ways to manage WNS and conserve bats. n Nova Scotia July 2015 n  n What have we learned? n Quebec n Biologists in New York and Vermont have found up to 50 percent of Evidence of Pseudogymnoascus marked little brown bats at a few destructans has been detected in three test sites surviving from one winter additional states: to the next in recent years, giving n Minnesota some hope that this species might n Mississippi one day be able to recover. Little n Oklahoma brown bat populations at these sites remain at less than 10 percent of What is being done? their pre-WNS size, however. Partnerships n Scientists have developed new The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ways to detect Pseudogymnoascus leads an extensive network of state and destructans on bats and in the federal agencies, tribes, organizations, environment, including using UV institutions and individuals in working light and molecular analyses. cooperatively to investigate the n Because of WNS investigation,