Millions of bats have died from this disease. Now it's been found in Alberta
CBC
White-nose syndrome, a deadly disease in bats, has spread to Alberta — two years after the fungus that causes it was first detected in the province.
In an update published this month, the Alberta government said white-nose syndrome had been found in two little brown bats that were sampled and released near Dinosaur Provincial Park, 225 kilometres southeast of Calgary.
Dayna Goldsmith, Alberta regional director of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, said the disease has now been confirmed in a total of three live bats that were sampled in early May.
The bats tested positive for the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, and there were microscopic lesions in the wings associated with fungus damage, Goldsmith said.
Biologists consider white-nose syndrome one of the worst wildlife diseases in modern times in North America.
"Throughout Canada and North America, we've lost millions of bats to white-nose syndrome so far," Goldsmith said.
"For a long time I've been expecting [white-nose syndrome] to reach Alberta. It's definitely pretty sad that it's here now."
The disease is caused by a fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that was first detected in bat droppings in southeastern Alberta in spring 2022.
The fungus thrives in cool, damp conditions that mirror the ones bats seek for hibernation. Many species of bats hibernate in caves and deep rock-crevices.
Research indicates the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome likely arrived from Europe through shipping or cave exploration. The disease was discovered in New York state in 2006, and it's now in every province in Canada, except for British Columbia.
"We anticipate the fungus and the disease will spread north and west, and affect a number of bat species," the province said in its online update.
Since hibernating bats huddle closely together in large groups for long periods of time, the fungus can pass along easily.
"In some situations, all the bats in individual caves die during the winter months," the update said.
Pollinating bats and long-distance migrants that don't hibernate don't seem to be affected by white-nose syndrome.