White Nose Syndrome Confirmed In Bats From Western Maryland Cave

[Kris G.]

White Nose Syndrome Confirmed In Bats From Western Maryland Cave
Annapolis, MD (March 18, 2010) — Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists have confirmed that bat carcasses collected from a cave near Cumberland on March 5, 2010 were infected with White Nose Syndrome (WNS).

“This is the first confirmed WNS case in Maryland. DNR will implement a regimen of restricted access and decontamination procedures for all known bat locations,� said DNR Veterinarian Cindy Driscoll. “DNR has also encouraged the owners of the Cumberland cave to prohibit all access to the site.�

The four dead bats collected at the cave by DNR biologists were submitted to National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. for diagnostic evaluation of suspected WNS. The bats tested positive for Geomyces destructans, the fungus known to be the causative agent of skin lesions observed in WNS-affected bats. The center has confirmed the characteristic lesions of WNS in these bats.

WNS, likely spread by contact among bats and their environment, is a disease suspected of killing more than a million bats in the northeastern United States.

A recent survey of hibernating bats in another Garrett County cave was just completed and there were no signs of WNS in that location. The disease has been documented in caves and mines where large numbers of bats hibernate. The disease has not been found in bats that use buildings or other man-made structures. Based on its distribution in the northeastern states, WNS in Maryland is only expected to occur in the mountainous parts of the State where caves occur. It is not expected to be found in metropolitan environments.

“I am happy to report that there were no indications of WNS at this site,� said DNR biologist Dan Feller. “The bats were normally distributed within the cave, behaved normally and no fungus was observed on any of the 227 bats at the location.�

WNS was first discovered in a cave near Albany, N.Y. in February 2006. It has been confirmed or suspected in 10 states in the eastern U.S. from New Hampshire to Tennessee. Since 2006, biologists across the Northeast have reported as much as a 100% decline in hibernating bats in affected caves.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests that cavers refrain from caving in all WNS affected states and adjoining states. And cavers should refrain from caving anywhere during the hibernation period (September – May) to minimize disturbance and mortality to bats.

DNR biologists, following strict protocols established by the Northeastern WNS Working Group, will continue their monitoring efforts to determine if any other hibernation sites are affected in the state. Additional information on white-nose syndrome can be found at: http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/bats/nhpbatdisease.asp.

DNR biologists will be surveying other hibernation sites (hibernacula) during the next few weeks.

[valhalla]

Hmmm...  So, what is in the caves, I wonder?

[Kris G.]

Janet,
I looked further and another article said this:

Annapolis, MD (March 10, 2010) — Several dead bats and over two hundred visibly affected bats were found during a survey conducted in an Allegany County cave near Cumberland on March 5. The bats observed during the survey exhibited a white fungus concentrated around the muzzle of the infected bats. The findings are consistent with White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) and if confirmed, this will be Maryland’s first documented occurrence of the disease.

“Many biologists suspect that the WNS fungus, Geomyces destructans, is a non-native pathogen recently introduced to the United States,� said Dana Limpert, DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service ecologist and bat expert. “Fortunately WNS is not known to be harmful to humans. Unfortunately there is no known cure for bats infected with the disease, so our priority is preventing the spread of this deadly syndrome to other bat caves or hibernacula.�

 Bat carcasses and fungal samples were sent to the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. for verification. Positive laboratory confirmation of the fungus is expected to take several weeks.

“It is unclear how this cave became infected but there is evidence from other locations in the Northeast that cavers may be a source for spreading the WNS fungus,� said Dan Feller, the DNR ecologist who discovered the dead bats. “Cavers are generally responsible outdoor enthusiasts, but contaminated clothing and gear may inadvertently transmit spores into new areas, potentially impacting vital bat populations. We will begin immediately to elicit support from the local caving community to help us limit the spread of this disease.�

WNS was first discovered in a cave near Albany, N.Y. in February 2006. It has been confirmed or suspected in 10 states in the eastern U.S. from New Hampshire to Tennessee. Since 2006, biologists across the Northeast have reported as much as a 100% decline in hibernating bats in affected caves.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests that cavers refrain from caving in all WNS affected states and adjoining states. And cavers should refrain from caving anywhere during the hibernation period (September – May) to minimize disturbance and mortality to bats.

[valhalla]

Janet,
I looked further and another article said this:


“Many biologists suspect that the WNS fungus, Geomyces destructans, is a non-native pathogen recently introduced to the United States,� said Dana Limpert, DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service ecologist and bat expert. “Fortunately WNS is not known to be harmful to humans. Unfortunately there is no known cure for bats infected with the disease, so our priority is preventing the spread of this deadly syndrome to other bat caves or hibernacula.�

Not to sound negative, but why am I not surprised it is another thing that doesn't belong here like the Northern Snakehead, Hydrilla, water chestnuts, starlings, zebra mussels, and the list goes on.

[Kris G.]

I know-the great lakes are being threatened by Asian Carp:

Asian Carp Raises Fear and Loathing on Great Lakes
Fear and loathing on the Great Lakes: Fishermen worry Asian carp could devastate the industry
By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. December 10, 2009 (AP) The Associated Press


Graphic locates and describes the electric barrier used to prevent Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan.
(AP)After nearly four decades as a fishing guide on the Great Lakes, Pat Chrysler has seen enough damage from invasive species to fear what giant, ravenous Asian carp could do to the nation's largest bodies of freshwater.

"It's like introducing piranhas to the Great Lakes," Chrysler said from South Bass Island in Lake Erie, which teems with walleye, perch and other fish that draw anglers from near and far.

Federal and state officials are mounting a desperate, last-ditch effort to prevent the marauding carp from breaching an electrical barrier and slipping into the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River. Michigan is drawing up a lawsuit demanding the closing of shipping locks on a waterway that links the lakes with the Mississippi. And last week, Illinois officials poisoned a six-mile stretch of a canal to wipe out any of the carp.

The prospect of a carp invasion alarms environmentalists and people whose livelihoods depend on a strong fishing and tourism economy, from charter boat skippers to those who sell bait and tackle, rent personal watercraft and operate lakefront restaurants and motels. The Great Lakes fishing industry alone is valued at $7 billion a year.

"I'm afraid they can wipe us out in a hurry," said Jim Conder, a charter boat operator on Michigan's St. Joseph River, which flows into Lake Michigan. "We need to spend all we can to keep them out."

Over the years, parasitic sea lampreys, zebra mussels and other invasive species have killed trout and birds, left prized salmon and whitefish skinnier, and done other damage to the lakes.

Now, many fear that the despised Asian carp, which can reach 4 feet long and weigh up to 100 pounds, will wreak havoc, too — not by attacking native fish, but starving them out by gobbling up plankton.

The carp were imported from Asia to cleanse fish ponds and sewage lagoons in the Deep South but escaped into the Mississippi and have been working their way north since the 1970s.

[valhalla]

They are and I fear the carp are going to get in.