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.
Below are publications about white-nose syndrome.
White-nose syndrome in North American bats - U.S. Geological Survey updates
Distribution and environmental persistence of the causative agent of white-nose syndrome, Geomyces destructans, in bat hibernacula of the eastern United States
Pathology in euthermic bats with white nose syndrome suggests a natural manifestation of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
Inoculation of bats with European Geomyces destructans supports the novel pathogen hypothesis for the origin of white-nose syndrome
A culture-based survey of fungi in soil from bat hibernacula in the eastern United States and its implications for detection of Geomyces destructans, the causal agent of bat white-nose syndrome
Geomyces destructans -- White-nose syndrome in hibernating bats
Temperature-dependent growth of Geomyces destructans, the fungus that causes bat white-nose syndrome
Bat white-nose syndrome: a real-time TaqMan polymerase chain reaction test targeting the intergenic spacer region of Geomyces destructanstructans.
Fungal disease and the developing story of bat white-nose syndrome
White-nose syndrome in bats: U.S. Geological Survey updates
Frequent arousal from hibernation linked to severity of infection and mortality in bats with white-nose syndrome
White-nose syndrome in cave bats of North America
Recovery of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from natural infection with Geomyces destructans, 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.
Below are publications about white-nose syndrome.
White-nose syndrome in North American bats - U.S. Geological Survey updates
Distribution and environmental persistence of the causative agent of white-nose syndrome, Geomyces destructans, in bat hibernacula of the eastern United States
Pathology in euthermic bats with white nose syndrome suggests a natural manifestation of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
Inoculation of bats with European Geomyces destructans supports the novel pathogen hypothesis for the origin of white-nose syndrome
A culture-based survey of fungi in soil from bat hibernacula in the eastern United States and its implications for detection of Geomyces destructans, the causal agent of bat white-nose syndrome
Geomyces destructans -- White-nose syndrome in hibernating bats
Temperature-dependent growth of Geomyces destructans, the fungus that causes bat white-nose syndrome
Bat white-nose syndrome: a real-time TaqMan polymerase chain reaction test targeting the intergenic spacer region of Geomyces destructanstructans.
Fungal disease and the developing story of bat white-nose syndrome
White-nose syndrome in bats: U.S. Geological Survey updates
Frequent arousal from hibernation linked to severity of infection and mortality in bats with white-nose syndrome
White-nose syndrome in cave bats of North America
Recovery of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from natural infection with Geomyces destructans, white-nose syndrome
Below are news stories about white-nose syndrome.
Below are FAQs about white-nose syndrome.