A bat receiving the white-nose syndrome vaccine during a field trial to study vaccine efficacy.
What is White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose syndrome is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in at least 40 states and eight Canadian provinces have died from this devastating disease. The disease is named for the white fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of the muzzle, ears, and wings of hibernating bats. The fungus thrives in cold and humid conditions characteristic of caves and mines used by bats.
Scientists believe that White-nose Syndrome is transmitted primarily from bat to bat. There is a strong possibility that it may also be transmitted by humans inadvertently carrying the fungus from cave to cave on their clothing and gear.
Bats affected with White-nose Syndrome don't always have obvious fungal growth, but they might behave strangely inside and outside of the cave where they hibernate during the winter.
Learn more:
Related
What species of bats are affected by White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose Syndrome mostly affects hibernating bats. More than half of the 47 bat species living in the United States and Canada hibernate to survive the winter. Twelve bat species, including two endangered species and one threatened species, have been confirmed with white-nose syndrome in North America. The causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans ( Pd), has been found on an additional six...
What should I do if I find dead or dying bats, or if I observe bats with signs of White-nose Syndrome?
If you find a dead or dying bat: Contact your state wildlife agency, file an electronic report in those states that offer this service, e-mail U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists in your area or contact your nearest Fish and Wildlife Service field office to report your potential White-nose Syndrome (WNS) observations. It is important to determine the species of bat in case it is a federally...
Does White-nose Syndrome pose a risk to human health?
Thousands of people have visited affected caves and mines since White-nose Syndrome (WNS) was first observed, and there have been no reported human illnesses attributable to WNS. We are still learning about WNS, but we know of no risk to humans from contact with WNS-affected bats. However, we urge taking precautions and not exposing yourself to WNS. Biologists and researchers use protective...
What should cavers know and do in regard to White-nose Syndrome?
In response to White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and individual states request that cavers observe all cave closures and advisories, and avoid caves, mines or passages containing hibernating bats to minimize disturbance to them. The Service asks that cavers and cave visitors stay out of all caves in the affected states and adjoining states to help slow the potential...
Are bats dangerous?
All healthy bats try to avoid humans by taking flight and are not purposely aggressive. Most bats are about the size of a mouse and use their small teeth and weak jaws to grind up insects. You should avoid handling bats because several species, such as the hoary and big brown bats, have large teeth that can puncture skin if they are handled improperly. Less than one percent of the bat population...
How are bats affected by wind turbines?
Dead bats are found beneath wind turbines all over the world. It’s estimated that tens to hundreds of thousands die at wind turbines each year in North America alone. Unfortunately, it’s not yet clear why this is happening. It’s possible that wind turbines interfere with seasonal migration and mating patterns in some species of bats. More than three-quarters of the bat fatalities at wind turbines...
Bat receiving white-nose syndrome vaccine
A bat receiving the white-nose syndrome vaccine during a field trial to study vaccine efficacy.
Mark Ford Sampling an Indiana Bat for White-Nose Syndrome
Mark Ford and his graduate students at the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (Ecosystems Mission Area, USGS), on the Virginia Tech campus, lead research on white-nose syndrome in bats across the mid-Atlantic states and northeast U.S. The research focuses on habitat use, distribution, and population ecology.
Mark Ford and his graduate students at the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (Ecosystems Mission Area, USGS), on the Virginia Tech campus, lead research on white-nose syndrome in bats across the mid-Atlantic states and northeast U.S. The research focuses on habitat use, distribution, and population ecology.
UV Light Showing White-Nose Syndrome in Bat's Wing
Long-wave ultraviolet (UV) and white-light illumination of lesions associated with white-nose syndrome. Wing from dead Tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) lit from above with hand-held 51 LED 385-nm UV flashlight shows points of orange–yellow fluorescence.
Long-wave ultraviolet (UV) and white-light illumination of lesions associated with white-nose syndrome. Wing from dead Tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) lit from above with hand-held 51 LED 385-nm UV flashlight shows points of orange–yellow fluorescence.
White-Nose Syndrome Lesions Under UV Light
Long-wave ultraviolet (UV) and white-light illumination of lesions associated with white-nose syndrome. Points of orange–yellow fluorescence (arrows) detected on a roosting Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis) following surface illumination with a field-portable 9-watt 368-nm fluorescent UV light (photo by Tina Cheng with permission).
Long-wave ultraviolet (UV) and white-light illumination of lesions associated with white-nose syndrome. Points of orange–yellow fluorescence (arrows) detected on a roosting Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis) following surface illumination with a field-portable 9-watt 368-nm fluorescent UV light (photo by Tina Cheng with permission).
Bat with White-nose Syndrome
Hibernating little brown bat with white muzzle typical of White-nose syndrome.
Hibernating little brown bat with white muzzle typical of White-nose syndrome.
Set up to capture bats for white-nose syndrome surveillance activities
Mist-net and harp trap set up to capture bats for white-nose syndrome surveillance activities. Breckinridge County, KY. July 2012.
Mist-net and harp trap set up to capture bats for white-nose syndrome surveillance activities. Breckinridge County, KY. July 2012.
Bat White-nose Syndrome: There is a New Fungus Among Us By Dr. David Blehert
Since first discovered in 2007 in New York, white-nose syndrome has spread to 16 states, including Virginia and Maryland, and four Canadian provinces. The disease is estimated to have killed over five million hibernating bats.
By
Since first discovered in 2007 in New York, white-nose syndrome has spread to 16 states, including Virginia and Maryland, and four Canadian provinces. The disease is estimated to have killed over five million hibernating bats.
By
Tattered Wings: Bats Grounded by White-Nose Syndrome's Lethal Effects on Life-Support Functions of Wings
linkDamage to bat wings from the fungus associated with white-nose syndrome (WNS) may cause catastrophic imbalance in life-support processes, and this imbalance may be to blame for the more than 1 million deaths of bats due to WNS thus far. Paul Cryan, USGS bat ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, discusses this newly published USGS research.
Tattered Wings: Bats Grounded by White-Nose Syndrome's Lethal Effects on Life-Support Functions of Wings
linkDamage to bat wings from the fungus associated with white-nose syndrome (WNS) may cause catastrophic imbalance in life-support processes, and this imbalance may be to blame for the more than 1 million deaths of bats due to WNS thus far. Paul Cryan, USGS bat ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, discusses this newly published USGS research.
Hibernating Bats with White-nose Syndrome
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.
Dead Bats Near Cave Entrance
Bats die prematurely when affected by white-nose syndrome.
Bats die prematurely when affected by white-nose syndrome.
Bat Necropsy
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center conducts a bat autopsy as part of its efforts to study the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats.
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center conducts a bat autopsy as part of its efforts to study the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats.
Related
What species of bats are affected by White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose Syndrome mostly affects hibernating bats. More than half of the 47 bat species living in the United States and Canada hibernate to survive the winter. Twelve bat species, including two endangered species and one threatened species, have been confirmed with white-nose syndrome in North America. The causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans ( Pd), has been found on an additional six...
What should I do if I find dead or dying bats, or if I observe bats with signs of White-nose Syndrome?
If you find a dead or dying bat: Contact your state wildlife agency, file an electronic report in those states that offer this service, e-mail U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists in your area or contact your nearest Fish and Wildlife Service field office to report your potential White-nose Syndrome (WNS) observations. It is important to determine the species of bat in case it is a federally...
Does White-nose Syndrome pose a risk to human health?
Thousands of people have visited affected caves and mines since White-nose Syndrome (WNS) was first observed, and there have been no reported human illnesses attributable to WNS. We are still learning about WNS, but we know of no risk to humans from contact with WNS-affected bats. However, we urge taking precautions and not exposing yourself to WNS. Biologists and researchers use protective...
What should cavers know and do in regard to White-nose Syndrome?
In response to White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and individual states request that cavers observe all cave closures and advisories, and avoid caves, mines or passages containing hibernating bats to minimize disturbance to them. The Service asks that cavers and cave visitors stay out of all caves in the affected states and adjoining states to help slow the potential...
Are bats dangerous?
All healthy bats try to avoid humans by taking flight and are not purposely aggressive. Most bats are about the size of a mouse and use their small teeth and weak jaws to grind up insects. You should avoid handling bats because several species, such as the hoary and big brown bats, have large teeth that can puncture skin if they are handled improperly. Less than one percent of the bat population...
How are bats affected by wind turbines?
Dead bats are found beneath wind turbines all over the world. It’s estimated that tens to hundreds of thousands die at wind turbines each year in North America alone. Unfortunately, it’s not yet clear why this is happening. It’s possible that wind turbines interfere with seasonal migration and mating patterns in some species of bats. More than three-quarters of the bat fatalities at wind turbines...
Bat receiving white-nose syndrome vaccine
A bat receiving the white-nose syndrome vaccine during a field trial to study vaccine efficacy.
A bat receiving the white-nose syndrome vaccine during a field trial to study vaccine efficacy.
Mark Ford Sampling an Indiana Bat for White-Nose Syndrome
Mark Ford and his graduate students at the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (Ecosystems Mission Area, USGS), on the Virginia Tech campus, lead research on white-nose syndrome in bats across the mid-Atlantic states and northeast U.S. The research focuses on habitat use, distribution, and population ecology.
Mark Ford and his graduate students at the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (Ecosystems Mission Area, USGS), on the Virginia Tech campus, lead research on white-nose syndrome in bats across the mid-Atlantic states and northeast U.S. The research focuses on habitat use, distribution, and population ecology.
UV Light Showing White-Nose Syndrome in Bat's Wing
Long-wave ultraviolet (UV) and white-light illumination of lesions associated with white-nose syndrome. Wing from dead Tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) lit from above with hand-held 51 LED 385-nm UV flashlight shows points of orange–yellow fluorescence.
Long-wave ultraviolet (UV) and white-light illumination of lesions associated with white-nose syndrome. Wing from dead Tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) lit from above with hand-held 51 LED 385-nm UV flashlight shows points of orange–yellow fluorescence.
White-Nose Syndrome Lesions Under UV Light
Long-wave ultraviolet (UV) and white-light illumination of lesions associated with white-nose syndrome. Points of orange–yellow fluorescence (arrows) detected on a roosting Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis) following surface illumination with a field-portable 9-watt 368-nm fluorescent UV light (photo by Tina Cheng with permission).
Long-wave ultraviolet (UV) and white-light illumination of lesions associated with white-nose syndrome. Points of orange–yellow fluorescence (arrows) detected on a roosting Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis) following surface illumination with a field-portable 9-watt 368-nm fluorescent UV light (photo by Tina Cheng with permission).
Bat with White-nose Syndrome
Hibernating little brown bat with white muzzle typical of White-nose syndrome.
Hibernating little brown bat with white muzzle typical of White-nose syndrome.
Set up to capture bats for white-nose syndrome surveillance activities
Mist-net and harp trap set up to capture bats for white-nose syndrome surveillance activities. Breckinridge County, KY. July 2012.
Mist-net and harp trap set up to capture bats for white-nose syndrome surveillance activities. Breckinridge County, KY. July 2012.
Bat White-nose Syndrome: There is a New Fungus Among Us By Dr. David Blehert
Since first discovered in 2007 in New York, white-nose syndrome has spread to 16 states, including Virginia and Maryland, and four Canadian provinces. The disease is estimated to have killed over five million hibernating bats.
By
Since first discovered in 2007 in New York, white-nose syndrome has spread to 16 states, including Virginia and Maryland, and four Canadian provinces. The disease is estimated to have killed over five million hibernating bats.
By
Tattered Wings: Bats Grounded by White-Nose Syndrome's Lethal Effects on Life-Support Functions of Wings
linkDamage to bat wings from the fungus associated with white-nose syndrome (WNS) may cause catastrophic imbalance in life-support processes, and this imbalance may be to blame for the more than 1 million deaths of bats due to WNS thus far. Paul Cryan, USGS bat ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, discusses this newly published USGS research.
Tattered Wings: Bats Grounded by White-Nose Syndrome's Lethal Effects on Life-Support Functions of Wings
linkDamage to bat wings from the fungus associated with white-nose syndrome (WNS) may cause catastrophic imbalance in life-support processes, and this imbalance may be to blame for the more than 1 million deaths of bats due to WNS thus far. Paul Cryan, USGS bat ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, discusses this newly published USGS research.
Hibernating Bats with White-nose Syndrome
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.
Dead Bats Near Cave Entrance
Bats die prematurely when affected by white-nose syndrome.
Bats die prematurely when affected by white-nose syndrome.
Bat Necropsy
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center conducts a bat autopsy as part of its efforts to study the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats.
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center conducts a bat autopsy as part of its efforts to study the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats.
Updated Date: April 4, 2025