White-Nose Syndrome

What is White-Nose Syndrome?

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease caused by the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that has killed millions of bats. It's one of the most serious wildlife disease epidemic in American history. Since its introduction to North America in the mid 2000's, WNS has spread across the continent, devastating some bat species by 90 percent or more. For example, one New York bat colony dropped from a population of 1,200 to under 100 after being hit with WNS.

How does WNS affect bats?

The disease is called white-nose because of the visible white fungal growth on infected bats’ muzzles and wings. WNS kills bats by disrupting their hibernation (infected bats wake up more often). Bat body temperatures average about 40 degrees during hibernation, but when awakened those temperatures can climb to 100 degrees. Bats store up fat to use during hibernation, and if they use up the reserves on waking up and raising their body temperature, they can starve to death before hibernation is done.

Efforts to eradicate WNS by humans have been unsuccessful, but general bat population preservation efforts have lead to increased genetic diversity in bat species which IS improving WNS survival. Some bat species are already rebounding from WNS population devastation. For example, there are little brown bats that have a natural genetic predisposition to fighting off fungal Infections; these bats are likelier to survive WNS and pass on those fungal-fighting genes to their offspring. By supporting and protecting bat habitats, we are allowing these WNS resistant bats the opportunity to more rapidly rebound their population numbers.