White-Nose Disease Confirmed In Kentucky - Infected Colony Euthanized, But May Not Stop Spread

[hatrack]

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Biologists checked other caves within 16 miles and found no other evidence of the disease. But authorities found little comfort in that, as they anticipated the likely spread of the disease and its devastating effects, which include an impact on the agriculture industry.

“This is likely the most significant disease threat to wildlife Kentucky has ever seen,” said state wildlife resources Commissioner Jonathan Gassett, in a written statement. “We plan to aggressively manage this threat of (white nose syndrome) as it occurs in Kentucky in order to protect and conserve our bat populations.”

Insect-eating bats provide natural pest-control services that save the American agriculture industry between $3.7 billion and $53 billion a year, according to a recently published study in the journal Science.

“If we have high rates of mortality, assuming white nose continues to spread, then you are looking at large scale loss of the primary night time predator of flying insects,” said Mike Armstrong, the white-nose southeast regional coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “That translates into all kinds of different things (such as) more mosquitoes, more moths, and more pesticide use for agriculture,” he said. White-nose syndrome is known to be transmitted primarily from bat to bat, but fungal spores may be inadvertently carried to caves by humans on clothing and caving gear.

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http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110413/NEWS01/304130087/-1/GREEN/Fatal-bat-disease-confirmed-Kentucky?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Environment

[LaurenG]

1. I hope they can stop the spread of it.

:(