Disease found deadly to bats spreads in Washington
Disease deadly to bats discovered in Washington
'White nose sydrome' found to be a disease deadly to bats in Washington.
WASHINGTON - Another case of white-nose syndrome, a disease that can be deadly to bats, has been found in Jefferson County.
According to scientists from the Washington Department of fish and Wildlife (WDFW) the fatal disease is caused by a fungus known as Pseudogymnoascus destructans. It attacks the skin of hibernating bats, damaging their wings making it difficult for them to fly.
Infected bats tend to leave hibernation early causing them to tap into their fat reserves earlier than necessary and possibly causing them to die of either dehydration or starvation.
"The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has been detected in Benton County for the first time," said Abby Tobin, bat species lead for WDFW. "We also found a bat infected with white-nose syndrome in Jefferson County this year, which is a first.
"It’s discouraging to see the disease spreading among local bat populations, but WDFW and our partners will continue our proactive measures to survey for and respond to white-nose syndrome in Washington and test the efficacy of emerging disease treatments," said Tobin.
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This horde of bats could contain possible carriers of the rabies virus, 1972. Most of the recent human rabies cases in the United States have been caused by rabies virus that was transmitted through a bat vector. However, it is rare for humans to con
The first case of White-nose syndrome in the western U.S. was found in 2016 in King County, and the numbers have been trending upward ever since. Including recent discoveries, WDFW officials also have documented cases in Chelan, Pierce, Snohomish and Kittitas counties. And though there have been no cases of white-nose syndrome reported, Lewis, Mason, Yakima and Benton counties all have been found to be housing the disease causing fungus.
Though the fungus is primarily spread through bats, humans can also spread the fungus through clothes, shoes or recreational equipment that has come into contact with the fungus. However, though humans can carry the fungus, white-nose syndrome is a disease that does not affect humans, livestock or other wildlife outside of bats.
The WDFW encourages anyone who comes in contact with a sick bat to call for professionals in order to rehabilitate the bat. Washington is home to over 15 species of bat that play an important role in the ecosystem, for more information on bats visit WDFW’s Living with Bats webpage.