Is Pennsylvania next? Bats dying in New York, New England from spreading mystery disease
By ERIC LONG elong@sungazette.comArticle Photos
One biologist even said the northeastern bats may be in danger of a major die-off if the mystery disease that is killing them does not abate.
White Nose Syndrome has not been found in bats in this state, and Game Commission officials say they hope it stays away. In the meantime, Pennsylvania is becoming a key player in the role of trying to find out what is killing the bats.
The syndrome is identified by a fungus found on the nose, ears and wings of affected bats, but the fungus itself does not appear to be killing the bats, according to DeAnn Reeder, a bat physiologist at Bucknell University in Lewisburg.
“Last winter, the winter of 2006-07, it was first noted in New York and they estimated that about 10,000 bats died in that incident,” Reeder said.
“It is primarily an event that is happening there and in New England, but we are seeing some signs of it here,” she said. “This year, there were many more sites of die-offs in New York, Vermont and Massachusetts, and we estimate that this year about 400,000 bats died.”
White Nose Syndrome has been seen in Connecticut, too.
The numbers have escalated so quickly that scientists are alarmed, she said.
“We are looking at an epidemic,” Reeder said. “We are looking at caves and in mines where it is found in high levels, where we are seeing a 90-percent mortality rate. We think that if that is the case, we could be looking at a mass extinction event for bats. So this is pretty serious.”
Reeder said bat species involved include the little brown bat, big brown bat, Indiana bat, Northern long-eared bat, Pipistrelle bat and the small-footed bat.
“This is brand-new to North America,” Reeder said, noting that there has never been a major die-off such as this seen on the continent before in bat populations.
“We’re seeing bats with the fungus on their faces and we know it occurs on their wings and along their forearms. It is pretty obvious to see.
“My suspicion is that by next year, we will have mortality in Pennsylvania,” she said.
Veterinary pathologist and other wildlife experts are working to identify what is killing the bats. Scientists know the fungus isn’t the culprit, because there are several kinds of fungus present in White Nose Syndrome, she said.
“We think the fungus is a secondary infection. Fungi tend to be opportunistic,” Reeder said, explaining the organisms tend to attack something too weak to fend them off. “There is no smoking gun yet, but whatever it is, it is very virulent.”
Fungus found
According to Game Commission biologist Greg Turner, a similar fungus has turned up in this state.
“We found fungus on bats’ ears and wings — similar to that on bats afflicted with WNS in Vermont and New York — at sites in Fayette, Luzerne and Blair counties,” he said. “One of the sites, Hartman Mine, at Canoe Creek State Park in Blair County, is the state’s largest hibernaculum (a place where bats hibernate) for Indiana bats, a federally endangered species.”
Turner said the good news is that no dead bats killed by the mystery disease have been found in this state, yet.
But the Game Commission is getting ready to identify the progression of the syndrome and try to gather more information about how the unidentified disease is killing bats.
Reeder said the surprise to scientists investigating the die-offs is how many bats are suddenly dying.
“Bats are very tough animals, so whatever is affecting them is really nasty. We don’t know if it is viral or bacterial.
“There is some pathogen involved and maybe you add in pesticides or something else that is pushing them over the edge. So I think it may be a combination of factors.”
According to the Game Commission, bats affected with WNS and some bats that have died were grossly underweight, a condition noticed in bats with the fungus.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also is investigating and has predicted thousands more bats will die in New York and New England this year. This state, with many mines and caves, could have even bigger losses than have been seen elsewhere.
White Nose Syndrome first was documented in New York in 2006 during routine surveys of Indiana bats, a large portion of which suddenly had disappeared from a known hibernaculum.
Later, officials investigated reports of bats flying out of their hibernation sites in mid-winter, in broad daylight and dying in the snow.
Reeder said she believes the culprit either is viral or bacterial.
“The evidence really does point toward some kind of new pathogen,” she said. “Our goal is to try to find out what is going on as quickly as possible.”
Scientists, biologists and wildlife officials will meet for a mini-conference regarding the bats’ problems June 9 to 10 in Albany, N.Y., Reeder said.
There, investigators will compare notes and share hypotheses as to what is killing the bats. Then scientists will try to decide how to work on the problem and get ready to monitor bat populations from next fall through next winter.
Reeder said there is no apparent threat to humans at this point, but people should avoid handling dead or sick bats.
Caves closed
Reeder said that, as a result of the disease, several caves have been closed to the public, including Barton Cave in Fayette County, near Pittsburgh. She was there two weeks ago collecting blood samples from bats.
DCNR closed the caves through the year, even though the bats will be gone before summer.
Reeder has her own theory about why the bats are dying off.
“My hypothesis is that the bats are arousing, whether something is causing them to arouse or it is a natural arousal,” she said.
“Maybe their bodies detect this pathogen and they are staying warm trying to fight it off. But if they awake during the middle of the winter, they are starving to death.”
She said scientists may have an idea of what is killing the bats by sometime next winter. Game Commission biologists and other experts will be monitoring bat populations beginning this fall and into winter, looking for some answers.
“We hope to get some idea by next winter, but it may take several years,” Reeder said.
One expert, Susi von Oettingen, a Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species biologist, said answers won’t be easy to come by.
“We have no clue what it is right now,” she said. “And it doesn’t look like we’re going to find out anytime soon. Nothing like this has been documented in bat populations anywhere else in the world to this extent.”
Reeder said the 10 percent of bats that have survived the worst of the outbreaks may hold clues to how the disease works.
“We need to know if they got exposed to the disease with a low-level infection and survived, or what,” she explained. “We also need funding and manpower to do that.”
Monitoring scheduled
Several bat sites will be monitored this fall and winter and in the Northcentral Region, according to Reeder. The Game Commission also will watch, according to Tony Ross, a biologist for the agency.
“Right now they are out and flying around, but we will do extensive monitoring of any bats we do find,” Ross said. “We have known bat hibernaculum so we will have an opportunity to check them. Anytime we have a bat in hand, we will check it out.”
Ross said he and other Game Commission officials check houses with bat infestations and recommend options to homeowners to get the bats out.
The mystery disease is of great concern.
“Bats have a big effect and an important role in the ecosystem,” he said. “This could wipe out complete caves — it is quite destructive.”
Worldwide, there are more than 1,200 known species of bats and more are frequently discovered.
