Little brown bat with wing damage in Vermont 2008.
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern across United States at an alarming rate.
Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in 40 states and eight Canadian provinces (as of July 2023) have died from this devastating disease. Bat population declines are expected to have substantial impacts on the environment and agriculture. Bats eat insects that damage crops and spread disease. Consumption of insects by bats saves farmers billions of dollars in pest control services annually.
White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of the muzzle, ears, and wings of hibernating bats. Field signs of WNS can include excessive or unexplained mortality at a hibernaculum; visible white fungal growth on the muzzle or wings of live or freshly dead bats; abnormal daytime activity during winter months or movement toward hibernacula openings; and severe wing damage in bats that have recently emerged from hibernation. Infected bats experience a cascade of physiologic changes that result in weight loss, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and death. To determine conclusively if bats are affected by white-nose syndrome, scientists must examine a skin specimen to look for a characteristic microscopic pattern of skin erosion caused by P. destructans. Please see below for guidance on sample collection and submission for diagnostic services.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been a leading contributor to the interagency response to WNS since 2008 and continues to provide ongoing scientific support to these efforts by performing fundamental research on bat ecology, fungal biology, and WNS epidemiology and pathology.
More resources on white-nose syndrome:
- NWHC Bat White-Nose Syndrome/Pd Surveillance Submission Guidelines
- A National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
- White-Nose Syndrome.org - A Coordinated Response to the Devastating Bat Disease
- White-nose syndrome occurrence map
- White-nose Syndrome Case Definitions
- Explorers for Bats video
- Battle for Bats video
White-nose syndrome surveillance training videos
Below are images related to white-nose syndrome.
Little brown bat with wing damage in Vermont 2008.
Cluster of little brown bats in crevice outside a cave in Vermont. 2008
Cluster of little brown bats in crevice outside a cave in Vermont. 2008
Dead bats at a cave entrance in Vermont. 2008.
Dead bats at a cave entrance in Vermont. 2008.
Biologist entering the entrance of a cave containing bats with white-nose syndrome in Vermont. 2008.
Biologist entering the entrance of a cave containing bats with white-nose syndrome in Vermont. 2008.
Bat clusters near the entrance of a Vermont cave. 2008.
Bat clusters near the entrance of a Vermont cave. 2008.
Biologist navigating large rocks inside a Vermont cave. 2008.
Biologist navigating large rocks inside a Vermont cave. 2008.
Bats in torpor with water droplets on their fur (condensation on the bats indicates that they are at ambient temperature; they have lowered their body temperature down about even with cave temperature). 2008.
Bats in torpor with water droplets on their fur (condensation on the bats indicates that they are at ambient temperature; they have lowered their body temperature down about even with cave temperature). 2008.
Close up of hibernating bats in a Vermont cave 2008.
Close up of hibernating bats in a Vermont cave 2008.
Hibernating bats in a Vermont cave. 2008.
Hibernating bats in a Vermont cave. 2008.
Close up of wing damage on a Little Brown bat in Vermont. 2008.
Close up of wing damage on a Little Brown bat in Vermont. 2008.
Hibernating bats on wall of a cave in Vermont. 2008.
Hibernating bats on wall of a cave in Vermont. 2008.
USGS scientists conducting necropsy on bats (Dr. David Blehert on right) at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.
USGS scientists conducting necropsy on bats (Dr. David Blehert on right) at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.
Bats showing signs of infections with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome.
Bats showing signs of infections with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome.
Below are publications about white-nose syndrome.
White-nose syndrome in North American bats - U.S. Geological Survey updates
Skin fungal assemblages of bats vary based on susceptibility to white-nose syndrome
Identifying research needs to inform white-nose syndrome management decisions
Long-term survival of Pseudogymnoascus destructans at elevated temperatures
Investigating maternity roost selection by northern long-eared bats at three sites in Wisconsin
Virally-vectored vaccine candidates against white-nose syndrome induce anti-fungal immune response in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus)
Experimental infection of Tadarida brasiliensis with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome
U.S. Geological Survey response to white-nose syndrome in bats
Determinants of Pseudogymnoascus destructans within bat hibernacula: Implications for surveillance and management of white-nose syndrome
Phylogenetics of a fungal invasion: Origins and widespread dispersal of white-nose syndrome
Dispersal hazards of Pseudogymnoascus destructans by bats and human activity at hibernacula in summer
Datasheet: Pseudogymnoascus destructans (white-nose syndrome fungus)
Geomyces and Pseudogymnoascus: Emergence of a primary pathogen, the causative agent of bat white-nose syndrome
Below are news stories about white-nose syndrome.
Below are FAQs about white-nose syndrome.
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern across United States at an alarming rate.
Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in 40 states and eight Canadian provinces (as of July 2023) have died from this devastating disease. Bat population declines are expected to have substantial impacts on the environment and agriculture. Bats eat insects that damage crops and spread disease. Consumption of insects by bats saves farmers billions of dollars in pest control services annually.
White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of the muzzle, ears, and wings of hibernating bats. Field signs of WNS can include excessive or unexplained mortality at a hibernaculum; visible white fungal growth on the muzzle or wings of live or freshly dead bats; abnormal daytime activity during winter months or movement toward hibernacula openings; and severe wing damage in bats that have recently emerged from hibernation. Infected bats experience a cascade of physiologic changes that result in weight loss, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and death. To determine conclusively if bats are affected by white-nose syndrome, scientists must examine a skin specimen to look for a characteristic microscopic pattern of skin erosion caused by P. destructans. Please see below for guidance on sample collection and submission for diagnostic services.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been a leading contributor to the interagency response to WNS since 2008 and continues to provide ongoing scientific support to these efforts by performing fundamental research on bat ecology, fungal biology, and WNS epidemiology and pathology.
More resources on white-nose syndrome:
- NWHC Bat White-Nose Syndrome/Pd Surveillance Submission Guidelines
- A National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
- White-Nose Syndrome.org - A Coordinated Response to the Devastating Bat Disease
- White-nose syndrome occurrence map
- White-nose Syndrome Case Definitions
- Explorers for Bats video
- Battle for Bats video
White-nose syndrome surveillance training videos
Below are images related to white-nose syndrome.
Little brown bat with wing damage in Vermont 2008.
Little brown bat with wing damage in Vermont 2008.
Cluster of little brown bats in crevice outside a cave in Vermont. 2008
Cluster of little brown bats in crevice outside a cave in Vermont. 2008
Dead bats at a cave entrance in Vermont. 2008.
Dead bats at a cave entrance in Vermont. 2008.
Biologist entering the entrance of a cave containing bats with white-nose syndrome in Vermont. 2008.
Biologist entering the entrance of a cave containing bats with white-nose syndrome in Vermont. 2008.
Bat clusters near the entrance of a Vermont cave. 2008.
Bat clusters near the entrance of a Vermont cave. 2008.
Biologist navigating large rocks inside a Vermont cave. 2008.
Biologist navigating large rocks inside a Vermont cave. 2008.
Bats in torpor with water droplets on their fur (condensation on the bats indicates that they are at ambient temperature; they have lowered their body temperature down about even with cave temperature). 2008.
Bats in torpor with water droplets on their fur (condensation on the bats indicates that they are at ambient temperature; they have lowered their body temperature down about even with cave temperature). 2008.
Close up of hibernating bats in a Vermont cave 2008.
Close up of hibernating bats in a Vermont cave 2008.
Hibernating bats in a Vermont cave. 2008.
Hibernating bats in a Vermont cave. 2008.
Close up of wing damage on a Little Brown bat in Vermont. 2008.
Close up of wing damage on a Little Brown bat in Vermont. 2008.
Hibernating bats on wall of a cave in Vermont. 2008.
Hibernating bats on wall of a cave in Vermont. 2008.
USGS scientists conducting necropsy on bats (Dr. David Blehert on right) at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.
USGS scientists conducting necropsy on bats (Dr. David Blehert on right) at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.
Bats showing signs of infections with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome.
Bats showing signs of infections with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome.
Below are publications about white-nose syndrome.
White-nose syndrome in North American bats - U.S. Geological Survey updates
Skin fungal assemblages of bats vary based on susceptibility to white-nose syndrome
Identifying research needs to inform white-nose syndrome management decisions
Long-term survival of Pseudogymnoascus destructans at elevated temperatures
Investigating maternity roost selection by northern long-eared bats at three sites in Wisconsin
Virally-vectored vaccine candidates against white-nose syndrome induce anti-fungal immune response in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus)
Experimental infection of Tadarida brasiliensis with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome
U.S. Geological Survey response to white-nose syndrome in bats
Determinants of Pseudogymnoascus destructans within bat hibernacula: Implications for surveillance and management of white-nose syndrome
Phylogenetics of a fungal invasion: Origins and widespread dispersal of white-nose syndrome
Dispersal hazards of Pseudogymnoascus destructans by bats and human activity at hibernacula in summer
Datasheet: Pseudogymnoascus destructans (white-nose syndrome fungus)
Geomyces and Pseudogymnoascus: Emergence of a primary pathogen, the causative agent of bat white-nose syndrome
Below are news stories about white-nose syndrome.
Below are FAQs about white-nose syndrome.