Bat-killing fungus confirmed in Goshen County

Not found in Big Horn Basin

Posted 8/20/19

As part of ongoing efforts to track the spread of deadly white-nose syndrome among the state’s bats, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently surveyed bats in multiple caves.

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Bat-killing fungus confirmed in Goshen County

Not found in Big Horn Basin

Posted

As part of ongoing efforts to track the spread of deadly white-nose syndrome among the state’s bats, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently surveyed bats in multiple caves.

In collaboration with other agencies and organizations, department personnel swabbed the mammals, looking for early detection of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Called Pd for short, it’s a fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, a disease that kills bats during hibernation; the fungus has no effect on humans and pets.

Biologists confirmed the Pd fungus on the little brown myotis bat species for the second year in a row at a maternity roost in Fort Laramie in Goshen County. Laboratory results came back as inconclusive for five little brown bats in Niobrara County, suggesting the fungus may also be present there.

“Given that inconclusive results were found for multiple bats, and the proximity of Niobrara County to Goshen County and infected areas in South Dakota, we feel it is important to be proactive in our efforts to notify the public and minimize potential spread,” said Nichole Bjornlie, Game and Fish nongame mammal biologist. “Bats can carry the fungus without showing symptoms of the disease, and there is typically a lag between the first detection of the fungus and the observation of the disease.”

Biologists also sampled locations in Big Horn, Sheridan, Washakie, Fremont, Natrona and Crook counties; no samples tested positive for Pd. Teton County was also surveyed but the results are still pending.

Since 2014, Game and Fish has swabbed bats in their winter boarding locations, called hibernacula, looking for Pd. In 2017, Game and Fish began capturing bats in the spring to swab for the fungus at maternity roosts and other locations with high concentrations of bats.

This year, Game and Fish nongame biologists, along with partners, surveyed bats using a mixture of the two monitoring methods. The survey collected swabs from bats and cave walls in hibernacula, as well as swabs and guano samples from active bats.

Game and Fish biologists, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will continue to monitor bat populations. They hope to track Pd’s spread across Wyoming and evaluate the potential effects of the fungus and the disease on Wyoming’s bat populations.

The Pd fungus can be transported by humans, but there are ways to avoid spreading it to protect bats. The Game and Fish asks that you:

• Clean shoes and gear before and after visiting caves or other locations where bats are present to prevent the spread of the fungus.

• Don’t take gear or clothing from a cave or mine affected by white-nose syndrome to places free of the fungus.

• Check canopies, umbrellas and other items for bats before packing up. “They could be home to a roosting bat,” the department says.

• Contact Game and Fish personnel if you see a sick or dead bat and try to record the location.

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