Deadly Bat Plague Spreads to Midwestern US
Deadly Bat Plague Spreads to Midwestern US
'White-nose syndrome' has killed millions of bats
A fungal disease that has killed more than 5.5 million bats in the eastern United States and Canada is making its way west.
What's known as "white-nose syndrome" has now been diagnosed in three Missouri bats - the first confirmed cases west of the Mississippi, and St. Louis scientists say it won’t stop there.
That’s because white-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus that easily passes from bat to bat. The disease is named for the powdery white growth that can sometimes coat an infected bat’s muzzle and wings. The fungus penetrates the bat’s skin, eating away at the thin, semi-translucent membranes of its wings, tail, and ears.
Scientists have a number of theories about why the bats are dying. They may be using up their winter fat reserves too soon and starving to death. Bats that go out in the daytime make easy pickings for predators. They might be dying from the cold. And since bats regulate water loss through their wings, the flesh-eating fungus could cause deadly dehydration.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/environment/Deadly-Bat-Plague-Spreads-to-Western-US-147037655.html
