I have pointed this out before, but it bears repeating.
Humans _must_ not be a very good vector for transmitting WNS because
the NSS Convention was held in Indiana in 2007, the year after WNS
appeared in the Northeast. No one was doing decon then, and there
were surely cavers from affected areas caving in Indiana during the
convention. Nevertheless it took over 2 years before WNS showed up in
Indiana, much more in line with patterns of bat migrations and the
natural spread of WNS south and west from New England. If humans were
a good vector, it would have jumped to Indiana immediately.
Mark
At 01:58 PM 5/13/2014, michael queen wrote:
I have a hard time seeing humans as a significant vector in the
spread of WNS, and have seen no evidence that supports this as a
reality, not just a possibility. This includes the initial jump
across the Atlantic. If humans are a minor factor in the spread then
we may expect the disease to run its course as it is spread by major
vectors (bat-to-bat). Likewise, where lands in the southeast are
owned by a number of entities (USFS, NPS, state lands, private
lands, etc), closing any one could not possibly contain the disease.
What is as disturbing as the rapid spread of WNS is the seeming bias
introduced in its study. We hear repeatedly how humans are a vector
even as they ignore any and all suggestions to the contrary, as for
instance the paper on geographic translocation in bats.
Please reply to mmin...@caver.net
Permanent email address is mmin...@illinoisalumni.org
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