Searching for a Solution to White-Nose Syndrome

In the five years since the fungal disease white-nose syndrome was discovered in New York, the disease has spread to more than 190 sites in 16 eastern states and two four Canadian provinces. At one Canadian site alone, 5,000 bats died.

Bats at sunset

In this week's ScienceNews, the bats -- and the scientists working to study the disease -- are the subject of the cover article.

Named for its devastating impact, the fungus,  Geomyces destructans latches onto living bats in the dead of winter. The fungus takes root during the winter hibernation period for bats such as the little brown bat, which suffers a 90 percent mortality rate from the fungus. At one New York location, the number of bats hibernating there went from 200,000 to only 2,000 in just three years.

Scientists aren't just documenting the disease's spread and its potential devastation to ecosystems. They are also looking for antifungal solutions to halt the spread of the disease or help the bats resist it.

You can read more this research in the latest issue of ScienceNews.