28 Oct 2024        15:15:39 pm

Biology

White-nose syndrome (WNS)

Tags : White-nose syndrome (WNS)

Topic: Diseases

Why in the news?

• Fungal disease white-nose syndrome decimated insectivorous bats that serve as biological pest control, leading to an 8 per cent increase in Infant mortality along with huge economic losses.

Source: The Hindu 

About White-nose syndrome (WNS):

• It is a fungal disease in North American bats which has resulted in the dramatic decrease of the bat population in the United States and Canada, reportedly killing millions as of 2018.
• It represents a distinctive fungal growth around the muzzles and on the wings of hibernating bats. 
• It was first identified from a February 2006 photo taken in a cave located in New York.
• It has rapidly spread since then. 
• It is caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which colonizes the bat\'s skin. 
• No obvious treatment or means of preventing transmission is known, and some species have declined more than ninety percent within five years of the disease reaching a site.
• The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has called for a moratorium on caving activities in affected areas and strongly recommends decontaminating clothing or equipment in such areas after each use. 

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