Scientists try to protect bats from lethal fungus
B.C. researchers among those working to introduce beneficial probiotic to animals
Bats may give you the creeps, but researchers at Thompson Rivers University are working hard to protect them from a deadly fungus.
Researchers at TRU are working with researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, McMaster University in Hamilton and the University of B.C. to apply a probiotic cocktail to bat boxes to prevent the spread of a disease called white-nose syndrome that is decimating bat populations, according to a TRU news release.
Dr. Naowarat Cheeptham’s team, which includes graduate student Nick Fontaine, have isolated bacteria from the wings of healthy bats that works to prevent the spread of the pathogen responsible for white-nose syndrome.
White-nose syndrome has spread to 36 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces and has killed more than six million bats, according to TRU.
The researchers applied a clay powder containing the good bacteria to the bases of bat boxes.
When entering the boxes, the clay mixture collects on the bat wings, and should protect them from the fungus, according to TRU.
So far, TRU says there’s no evidence that white-nose syndrome has made its way to B.C. but scientists are predicting that if it’s not here yet it will arrive shortly.
The fungus, called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was first discovered in 2006, and thrives in cold, damp places.
The fungus irritates the bats, according to TRU, causing them to wake during hibernation, which can lead to death from starvation and exposure.