Bats are among the most mysterious and misunderstood animals, but they are also among our most essential.
We have bats to thank for several reasons. To start, bats are pollinators of many popular foods like bananas and peaches. They also pollinate cacoa, which is essential for making chocolate. And bats eat insects — a lot of insects. This not only helps make our outdoor time more enjoyable, it also prevents millions of dollars in crop damage each year.
All the benefits we get from bats are at risk, though, because bats themselves are vulnerable due to a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. This disease has killed millions of bats in the United States since first being identified in 2006. White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, or P. destructans. The fungus is thought to be native to Europe and brought to North America by humans.
White-nose syndrome was first identified in New York in 2006. Since then it has spread mostly eastward and has now been identified in 40 states and nine Canadian provinces. White-nose syndrome was first confirmed in Illinois bats in 2013.
Words to know
Congregate: To gather in a crowd of mass.
Muzzle: The projecting part of the face, including the nose and mouth, of an animal.
Vulnerable: Susceptible to harm.
White-nose syndrome is caused by the growth of a white fungus on infected bats' wings and muzzles. This is how the disease got its common name. The condition causes bats to behave abnormally. These unusual behaviors can include flying outdoors during the day in the winter, a time when they are normally hibernating, and congregating around the entrances to the caves where they hibernate. Finding dead or dying bats on the ground in the winter is also a sign the bats have white-nose syndrome.
Not all bats are affected by the disease. The infecting fungus is found in caves, so the condition primarily affects bats that hibernate. They contract the infection while hibernating in caves for the winter. However, the disease can also be spread from bat to bat. In addition, researchers believe humans can carry the fungus from cave to cave, allowing the condition to spread more quickly among the bat population.
The bat species that have been most affected by the condition are little brown bats, northern long-eared bats and tricolored bats. At some sites where the fungus is present, between 90% and 100% of all bats have died. Some species, such as the Virginia big-eared bat, have been discovered with the fungus, but they do not develop the symptoms of white-nose syndrome.
Bats are the only species that can contract the illness. Humans can’t get sick from the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, but humans can get fungal infections. Ringworm is caused by fungus, and so is athlete’s foot. Some forms of pneumonia are also caused by fungus.
No cure or treatment yet exists for white-nose syndrome. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is leading a government effort to combat the illness.
You can help prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome by following a few guidelines. A good first step is being educated about white-nose syndrome and how it is affecting bat populations. You should also report dead bats to local authorities, and remember to never touch or handle a dead bat.
One final step: Do not enter closed caves. In many areas where bats raise their young or hibernate, property owners and other officials will close caves to the public to protect the bats inside.
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