http://news.yahoo.comFri Aug 6, 9:33 am ET
A mysterious illness is threatening the bat population in North America, and scientists believe a fungus is to blame.
White Nose Syndrome (WNS) was first detected in New York in 2006. In just four years, the disease has spread across New England and the Mid-Atlantic states and into Canada, The U.S. Forest Service said. Recent sightings have been reported in bat populations in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. At the time of this writing, more than 1 million bats have died, Reuters reported.
Researchers say WNS is caused by a cold-loving fungus called Geomyces destructans. The fungus is spread primarily through bat-to-bat interaction, but it can also be transmitted on the footwear, clothing and gear of cave visitors. When the fungus comes in contact with a bat, it produces a white material on the animal's face and wings, and forces the creature out of hibernation in the middle of winter. Infected bats then attempt to find food. Since there are no insects available, the bats literally starve to death.
WNS has been detected in nine species of bat; however, it is particularly common in the little brown myotis bat. People who've entered hibernation caves invaded by the fungus have found the floors blanketed with thousands of dead bats.
According to a new report in Science Magazine, the bat death rate is so severe that it could cause one species to vanish within 16 years.
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Topic: Mysterious disease imperils millions of bats in U.S., Canada (Read 1011 times)