- Hello Jeff - This is frightful news. White Nose Syndrome
hits bats in northeastern Missouri. WNS has also been discovered in the
Great Smokey National Park in Tennessee. I must admit that I did feel
the next discovery would be in or around Asheville, NC. I believe that
officials in Missouri also felt that Missouri might have had some time
before the disease was to strike.
-
- We cannot figure out how this is spreading and therefore
cannot slow the spread down or take measures to prevent its spread.
-
- Loss of bats in farming areas of the country mean the
farm pests will have to be eradicated via other means. Unfortunately,
if MORE pesticides are used we might just end up with a vicious circle
of more sick bats, and bees. More bats gone means more pesticides used...and
the deadly cycle continues..
-
- Patty
-
- WHITE NOSE SYNDROME, BATS - USA (MISSOURI, TENNESSEE)
-
- In this posting: [1] Missouri [2] Great Smoky Mountains
National Park (Tennessee)
-
-
- [1] Missouri Date: Tue 20 Apr 2010 Source: R&D Magazine/Life
Sciences, Associated Press (AP) report [edited] http://www.rdmag.com/News/FeedsAP/2010/04/life-
sciences-new-bat-disease-found-in-northeast-mo-cave/
-
-
- New bat disease found in north east Missouri cave
-
- Dozens of Missouri's bat caves will be closed as a result
of the recent discovery of white nose syndrome, a fungus responsible
for killing more than a million bats in the eastern United States.
Officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed
on Monday [19 Apr 2010] that the disease was detected in a little
brown bat in a cave in Pike County in the north eastern part of the
state.
-
- The deadly disease was first discovered in New York in
2006 and has been rapidly spreading west. With the Pike County discovery,
Missouri becomes the 12th state with a confirmed case of white nose
syndrome, state conservation officials said.
-
- "We've been tracking it move through Tennessee and
thought we might have a little grace period, at least a year anyway,"
said Bill Elliott, a Missouri Department of Conservation cave biologist.
"So, it was a bit of a surprise that it jumped this far this
fast."
-
- State and federal biologists have been on the lookout
for white nose syndrome in Missouri caves for the last few years.
Elliott credits a sharp-eyed field biologist for spotting the Pike
County bat, which had a small growth on its wing but appeared healthy
otherwise. "Clearly, this disease is spreading quickly, but
we also have more eyes out there than ever before," Elliott
said. "So early detection is definitely playing a role."
-
- Many mysteries continue to surround white nose syndrome,
which poses no risk to humans and appears to be spread from bat to
bat. Affected bats have been found with white fungus typically on
their noses. Their behavior is altered, flying outside of caves during
winter or clustering at the entrance of a cave rather than inside.
-
- Scientists suspect people may inadvertently spread the
disease when they go into caves, perhaps through fungal spores on
hair, clothes or equipment.
-
- That's why the US Forest Service last year [2009] voluntarily
closed caves in 20 states, including Missouri and Illinois, where
there have been no confirmed reports of the disease. In Missouri,
access was restricted to 600 caves in the Mark Twain National Forest.
-
- The discovery will trigger the closure of 80 bat caves
on land managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, according
to a plan approved by the agency the day after the Pike County case
was reported in mid-April [2010]. Judd Slivka, spokesman for the
Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said the agency is evaluating
what to do with the bat caves on property it owns. Some of Missouri's
most popular caves are in state parks such as Onondaga and Meramec.
The vast majority of Missouri's 6300 caves are privately owned and
will be unaffected by state or federal closure orders.
-
- Still, Elliott said conservation officials hope to work
with private landowners to educate them about the symptoms of white
nose syndrome. Scott House, president of the Cave Research Foundation,
said he anticipates most cave enthusiasts will obey closure orders
and work with land managers to help identify the disease. "I
think organized cavers will continue to do the right thing,"
House said. "I would never go into a cave again if it meant
I was helping the local bat population."
-
- Elliott said bats play a vital role in cave ecosystems.
Not only do their droppings provide food for other animals, they
eat a number of pests such as mosquitoes, and some moths and beetles.
He estimated Missouri's 775 000 gray bats eat more than 223 billion
bugs -- about 540 tons -- each year.
-
- In coming weeks, state and federal officials, conservation
groups and private cave owners will be working on a plan to address
the threat of white nose syndrome to local bat populations. Missouri
is home to at least 12 species of bats, including 2 endangered species,
the gray and Indiana bats.
-
- Biologists also will continue to survey caves, looking
for signs of white nose syndrome. "My guess is, now that we've
found it in one cave, it's probably here in others," Elliott
said. "It's just a matter of looking."
-
- byline: Kim McGuire
-
-
- communicated by ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
-
- Missouri marks an expansion of this disease's westward
movement. It is sad news for Missouri, indeed for all of us. Several
new treatments are being tried, but there have been no reports of
any success, yet. - Mod.TG
-
- The Midwestern state of Missouri can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at http://healthmap.org/r/01dx
Pike County can be located on the map at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_County,_Missouri -
Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ
-
-
-
- [2] Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee) Date:
Mon 19 Apr 2010 Source: The Daily Times [edited] http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20100419/NEWS/100419959
-
- Bat-killing fungus confirmed in Great Smoky Mountains
National Park
-
- Biologists at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have
received confirmation that a bat collected from White Oak Blowhole
cave [on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park]
tested positive for the fungus believed to cause the fatal white
nose syndrome [WNS] that has been decimating bat populations in the
north east.
-
- White Oak Blowhole cave contains the largest known Indiana
bat hibernacula in Tennessee. The Indiana bat is a federally listed
endangered species. White nose syndrome has killed more than 90 per
cent of the bats in many of the caves and mines in the north east,
and is just now showing up in the south east.
-
- The fungal infection of 1 of the 2 bats collected in
the park was confirmed by the US Geological Survey's National Wildlife
Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to confirming the
fungal infection of the little brown bat, a common bat species, photographs
taken of federally listed Indiana bats in the cave were found consistent
with the early stages of WNS.
-
- "We closed all of the Park's 17 caves and 2 mine
complexes to any public entry a year ago [2009] to prevent the possible
importation of the WNS pathogen on visitor's clothing or gear, but
scientists have confirmed that bat-to-bat transmission of the fungus
occurs," Park wildlife biologist Bill Stiver said. "We
take this very seriously because national parks are often the primary
refuge that endangered species can count on for protection."
-
- The park's caves will remain closed. Rangers are increasing
their enforcement to reduce the likelihood that visitors might transport
the WNS pathogen to uninfected colonies either in the Park or elsewhere.
Violators face fines of up to 6 months in jail or USD 5000.
-
- White nose syndrome is named for the white fungus that
forms on the faces of many infected bats. Just how the fungus causes
death in the bats is still being investigated. "While a lot
of people may misunderstand and even dislike bats," Stiver said,
"they may be hugely important in controlling the population
of many insect pests. We are very concerned about the potential decline
of bats from both an ecological and human health standpoint."
-
- -- communicated by: ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
-
- [Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in the
Appalachian mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. The state
boundary line bisects the park, which is one of the largest in the
eastern United States. A map of the park is available at http://www.nps.gov/PWR/customcf/apps/maps/showmap.cfm?alphacod
e=grsm&parkname=Great%20Smoky%20Moun
tains%20National%20Park The state of Tennessee can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail
interactive map at http://healthmap.org/r/01dA - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ
-
- Photos: Gray bat (_Myotis grisescens_) http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?tid=3&did=18608
-
- and http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?tid=2&did=12266
-
-
- Indiana bat (_Myotis sodalis_) http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/usfws/indianabat.jpg/medium.jpg
and http://endangered.nothingbut830.com/images/Indiana%20Bat.jpg
-
-
- Little brown bat (_Myotis lucifugus_) http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/p
hil_myers/ADW_mammals/Chiroptera/luci.jpg/view.html and http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/mmd/aml/Bat%20lis
t/images/LittleBrownBat_Myotislucifugus.jpg - Mod.TG
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural
Economics Univ of West Indies Please visit my "Emerging Diseases"
message board at:http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php Also
my new website: http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/ Zhan le Devlesa tai
sastimasa Go with God and in Good Health
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