Enhanced Surveillance for White-Nose Syndrome in Bats

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease in bats that was first described near Albany, New York, USA, in February 2006 (1). The causative agent, Geomyces destructans, is a psychrophilic (cold-loving) fungus that infects the skin of bats and leads to depletion of their fat stores during hibernation (2). WNS has caused dramatic cumulative mortality rates (up to 99%) in some winter hibernacula and has killed millions of bats among 6 cave-roosting species in 19 central and eastern US states and 4 Canadian provinces (3). In addition, the fungus has been identified in 2 additional US states, although bat deaths have not been associated with it. No evidence has been found that WNS is transmitted from bats to humans, although humans may play a role in translocation of the fungus between caves (4,5).