Plague Fungus Danger For Animals and Humans

When making a semi-annual survey of bat populations, Al Hicks, a wildlife specialist investigators from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and his team found a mass death in a cave, in the area of Albany, New York. 

In fact, in the same cave, two years ago there were large colonies of bats that continues to grow. When surveyed, thousands of bats found dead on the floor of the cave. Their bodies covered with white spots suspicious. Especially around the nose. 

"We've never heard of anything like this," Hicks said, as quoted from Discovermagazine, January 11, 2010. "Bats are now into other animals who experience a sudden decline in population and mysterious," he said. 

Observers who saw the victim other bats in the cave were also unnerved. At the same time, some beekeepers also reported the disappearance of the animal colony. 

In 2004, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states, one third of the world's species of amphibians are threatened with extinction. Further research also found that of 17 species of snakes in the three continents of the world, it is known that 11 of them experienced a rapid population decline. 

Much of what is expected to be a contributing factor, ranging from habitat loss, pollution, to global warming. However, just like other animals and bats, certain diseases strongly suspected as the main cause. 

White spot on the bat to guide the beginning. After sending a few corpses to a number of labs in the United States, David Blehert, a microbiologist from the National Wildlife Health Center found that Geomyces destructans, mushrooms compatriots who generally only eat carrion now been attacking living things. 

"This fungus is not able to recognize the difference between dead and living things," says Blehert. "As bats break, their body temperature dropped and then it started to eat mushrooms," he said. 

The results of this study describes the findings of Hicks why only bats that break are attacked. Bats are not affected to stay awake the white nose syndrome. This fungus is present in which the death of animals due to white-nose syndrome occurs and its spread continues to expand. 

In total, the number of deaths from mushroom has reached millions of animals. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, white nose syndrome is a severe health crisis that afflicts ever recorded wildlife. 

The main problem faced by bats is, since the females only give birth to one child each year, the population will be threatened in some time to come. 

Problems faced by humans, if the number of wild bat populations drop, then other species will benefit. For information, a bat can consume up to 600 mosquitoes per hour. If the mosquito population is shrinking and booming bat, problems will arise for humans. 

Now environmental analysts are trying to identify and understand more about the pathogen and test a number of ways to protect wild animals are still healthy.