White Nose Syndrome

White-nose syndrome is the caused by a fungus called Pseudogymnoascus Destructans. This fungus feeds on the skin of hibernating bats, including their wings. It is responsible for killing an estimated 6.7 million bats in North America since 2006.

The syndrome causes hibernating bats to wake up more frequently during the winter, forcing them to rapidly use up their limited fat reserves. Bats that survive the winter with white-nose syndrome frequently die in the spring due to their immune systems attacking the fungus, along with healthy tissue, in an attempt to rid the bat’s body of the fungus. It is theorized that actual, eventual cause of death may be severe water and electrolyte imbalance due to rapid destruction of wing tissue.

Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome, appears to have come to North America from Europe via human traffic.

The fungus has been found on cave bats in countries throughout Europe and in China. These species of bats, however, appear to have adapted to the fungus and are unaffected by it. Because cave bats do not migrate between North America and other continents, it is highly likely that humans are responsible for bringing the fungus to North America. It is theorized that the fungus was introduced to North American cave bat populations via cave visitors who unknowingly carried the fungus on their clothing and gear.

The fungus passes primarily from bat-to-bat or environment-to-bat, but may also be passed from human-to-bat through misguided human intervention. It is thought that the 2016 jump of white-nose syndrome from the Midwest to the West coast was entirely due to humans handling bats.