I have not had a chance to find out the facts or details of WNS.
Could each infected bat have visited a source of the fungus such as a plant or tree or soil? or are they certain that one sick bat brings it to the cave infecting all the other bats ? Are they certain it is a fungus ? Are they certain it is only Fusarium? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusarium Is it just on the hair, or is it also on the skin? Or stuck under their tiny claws ? I doubt that humans are carriers of the fungus. But in an effort to not rule anything out yet, why could it not be transmitted in our lungs. I guess I am saying decon would not do any good if that were the case, so why take a chance on caving until we are certain ? Other animals may use the cave and visit nearby caves. Possums, etc. So it could not be contained easily if that were the case. I propose putting some sick bats in a cage with a possum. Are they certain the fungus gets transmitted simply by touching it ? Meaning does it require fluid transmission ( saliva, etc ). Are we maybe looking at a rare troglobitic fungus ? ( I think I read somewhere it had been cultured in a lab ? ) Have the bats lungs been autopsyied ? I bet the fungus is also in their lungs. In that case, they are dying of pneumonia like symptoms. Otherwise, it has entered their bloodstream and effected their nervous system. Do these bats have to hibernate to survive ? Can they be transported south for the winter ? ( Wouldn't it be ironic if that method brought WNS to the south ? ) It would seem logical that the bats have put their nose inside of something that had the fungus. Such as a new flower imported from some exotic place where bats don't live. Like any contagious disease, the sick bats should be isolated from the non-sick ones. How to practically do that is a difficult question. Should the bats be captured and moved to try to save them ? If we only visit the same cave on a regular basis, then we could not spread WNS. Right ? Meaning, a caver could still visit a bat cave, as long as he doesn't visit any other caves. Right ? Another thought is that some animals have symbiotic relationships with other animals like the whale and the fish that attaches to them. Possibly bats up north have lost their symbiotic host, such as something that lived in their fur that fed on the fungus and kept it under control? I doubt that. It is no surprise that some environmentalist are claiming this is proof of global warming. I am not yet a believer in global warming caused by humans, but I do firmly support the goals of lessening pollution. ( I am more concerned about population growths affect on the environment, but that is another topic ). I bet there has been a sudden increase in this fungus on the surface in the vicinity of the 1st cave in the area where the bats spend the night flying around. How far do these bats normally go from New York? I guess they have ruled out that the 1st cave was visited by a caver who had travelled outside of New York, or from outside the country in the same clothes he wore to some environment that had high concentrations of this fungus ? I would not believe that theory. Maybe any mammal can catch it by eating an infected mosquito ? My guess, is that the fungus is NOT the symptom of an illness. My hunch is the fungus is causing the illness. So we must first get the bats away from the fungus. Can the sick bats be sanitized to remove the fungus ? David Locklear caver in Fort Bend County --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
