Featured Post

THIS IS WHAT I DO

Barbed wire | Rescue | THIS IS WHAT I DO checking barbed wire in my own time. volunteer.

DEM confirms presence of fungal disease affecting bats in Rhode Island


May 5, 2016

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that is an often fatal to bats, has been confirmed for the first time in Rhode Island.

A tri-colored bat hibernating in Newport County has tested positive for the presence of the disease, and soil samples collected from two other locations in Newport County confirmed the presence of fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which causes the disease. There is no evidence that the disease poses a threat to humans, domestic animals, or other wildlife.

The finding was not unexpected, as WNS is present in all other New England states. Rhode Island is the 29th state to confirm the presence of the fungus; the disease has killed approximately six million bats across the eastern US and eastern Canada since its discovery in eastern New York State in 2006. WNS disrupts the behavior and metabolism of bats during hibernation, causing them to deplete their fat reserves. Symptoms include deterioration of the wing membranes or uncharacteristic behavior such as flying outside during the daytime in winter.
Click on file for full press release.
Full press release
DEM CONFIRMS PRESENCE OF FUNGAL DISEASE AFFECTING BATS IN RI

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that is an often fatal to bats, has been confirmed for the first time in Rhode Island. A tri-colored bat hibernating in Newport County has tested positive for the presence of the disease, and soil samples collected from two other locations in Newport County confirmed the presence of fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which causes the disease. There is no evidence that the disease poses a threat to humans, domestic animals, or other wildlife.

The finding was not unexpected, as WNS is present in all other New England states. Rhode Island is the 29th state to confirm the presence of the fungus; the disease has killed approximately six million bats across the eastern US and eastern Canada since its discovery in eastern New York State in 2006. WNS disrupts the behavior and metabolism of bats during hibernation, causing them to deplete their fat reserves. Symptoms include deterioration of the wing membranes or uncharacteristic behavior such as flying outside during the daytime in winter.

A white fungus that often appears on the muzzle, forearms, or wings of affected bats during hibernation in the cold, humid environments of caves and mines. The fungus is primarily transmitted from bat to bat by direct contact; fungal spores can also be spread to caves and mines by humans on clothing, footwear, and equipment.

The fungus was found in swab samples collected in Rhode Island as part of a national research study at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin. In early February when the samples were collected, and again in March the bats in question showed no visible signs of the disease; however, further testing confirmed that one bat was infected with WNS and that two other bats were suspected of infection.

Three additional locations where bats are known to hibernate were also surveyed this winter. Soil samples collected at two locations in Newport County confirmed presence of the fungus, although none of the bats at these two sites tested positive for the fungus or exhibited signs of the disease. The sampling procedure does not injure the bat and causes a minimal amount of disturbance to the bat. DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife continues to monitor known bat hibernation sites for the presence of WNS and its impact on the bat population.

Rhode Island does not host a large number of hibernating bats as there are no mines or natural caves in the state. Some man-made structures, however, provide a similar environment and small numbers of bats often utilize these structures for hibernation.

For more information on WNS visit the USGS National Wildlife Health Center website.

Follow DEM on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) or Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM for more information on wildlife in Rhode Island as well as other timely updates.


COMMENTS

BLOGGER
Name

Articles,51,Audio,23,Backyard,24,Barbed Wire,35,Bat Art,56,Bat Books,94,Bat Box,27,Bat Clothing,16,Bat Issues,642,Bat Stamps,1,Bats,4,Bats for Children,39,Bats for the Home,70,Electrocution,9,Events,39,info on bats,643,Jackie Sparrow,26,Microbats,469,Misc,121,Netting,40,Newsletter,5,Promoting,152,Rehab,92,Rehab 2011,7,Rehab 2012,25,Rehab 2013,15,Rehab 2014,6,Rehab 2015,108,Rehab 2016,136,Rehab 2017,73,Rehab 2018,29,Rehab 2019,2,Release Cage,2,RESCUE,74,Rescue 2011,1,Rescue 2012,7,RESCUE 2013,18,RESCUE 2014,8,RESCUE 2015,25,Rescue 2016,20,RESCUE 2017,16,Rescue 2018,10,Rescue 2019,6,Rob Mies,11,Shooting,2,Vegetation,27,Video,399,Virus,128,WebSites-Bat,45,
ltr
item
BatsRule!: DEM confirms presence of fungal disease affecting bats in Rhode Island
DEM confirms presence of fungal disease affecting bats in Rhode Island
DEM confirms presence of fungal disease affecting bats in Rhode Island
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vXxg3HgyLFg/VzjtKdrQoAI/AAAAAAACUY4/EsFBEOcoxSw5dlAtavkGqgVsFFtP1CDggCKgB/s1600/DEM%2Bconfirms%2Bpresence%2Bof%2Bfungal%2Bdisease%2Baffecting%2Bbats%2Bin%2BRhode%2BIsland.JPG
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vXxg3HgyLFg/VzjtKdrQoAI/AAAAAAACUY4/EsFBEOcoxSw5dlAtavkGqgVsFFtP1CDggCKgB/s72-c/DEM%2Bconfirms%2Bpresence%2Bof%2Bfungal%2Bdisease%2Baffecting%2Bbats%2Bin%2BRhode%2BIsland.JPG
BatsRule!
http://batsrule-helpsavewildlife.blogspot.com/2016/05/dem-confirms-presence-of-fungal-disease.html
http://batsrule-helpsavewildlife.blogspot.com/
http://batsrule-helpsavewildlife.blogspot.com/
http://batsrule-helpsavewildlife.blogspot.com/2016/05/dem-confirms-presence-of-fungal-disease.html
true
4238281482117672351
UTF-8
Loaded All Posts Not found any posts VIEW ALL Readmore Reply Cancel reply Delete By Home PAGES POSTS View All RECOMMENDED FOR YOU LABEL ARCHIVE SEARCH ALL POSTS Not found any post match with your request Back Home Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat January February March April May June July August September October November December Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec just now 1 minute ago $$1$$ minutes ago 1 hour ago $$1$$ hours ago Yesterday $$1$$ days ago $$1$$ weeks ago more than 5 weeks ago Followers Follow THIS PREMIUM CONTENT IS LOCKED STEP 1: Share to a social network STEP 2: Click the link on your social network Copy All Code Select All Code All codes were copied to your clipboard Can not copy the codes / texts, please press [CTRL]+[C] (or CMD+C with Mac) to copy