POCATELLO, Idaho — Dr. Tonie Rocke, research scientist for the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, and an interagency team of biologists are developing a vaccine to protect bats from white-nose syndrome, which is caused by a fungal infection.
According to Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the fungus thrives in cold dark environments and grows on a bat’s skin and is easily spread. An interagency team working in Idaho to protect bats have discovered that it typically takes one to two seasons before bats are identified with white-nose syndrome.
White-nose syndrome is one of the most devastating wildlife diseases and has killed millions of bats across North America since its emergence in 2007, according to information shared by Intermountain Region. Biologists hope that the vaccine will help prevent the spread of this deadly fungus decimating the nation’s bat populations.
“The fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which causes white-nose syndrome, has been responsible for declines as high as 99% in wintering bat populations, leading to regional extinctions of several species in northeastern North America,” according to Yellowstone National Park.
“Vaccinating bats was one of the alternative management strategies identified during our structured decision-making workshop,” said Dr. Rita Dixon, state wildlife action plan coordinator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “Because Tonie Rocke had started her vaccine trial, we had the opportunity to work with her to vaccinate bats at Minnetonka Cave as a preventive measure in advance of the disease.”
Once the bats receive the vaccine they are released into the night where their sounds are recorded by an acoustic device that roughly identifies the bat species by their calls, according Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
