U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center provides national leadership to safeguard wildlife and ecosystem health through dynamic partnerships and exceptional science. NWHC provides vital research on understanding white-nose syndrome and the fungus Geomyces destructans that causes the disease. NWHC provides diagnostic support for other agencies and investigates wildlife diseases nationwide.
Contact Information
National Wildlife Health Center
Fort Collins Science Center

WNS news from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center

White-Nose Syndrome Fungus Persists in Caves Even When Bats are Gone (USGS, January 10, 2013)

Science Feature- The fungus that has killed millions of bats in eastern North America since 2006 can survive in the environment for long periods of time, according to new research conducted by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and collaborating partners at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and U.S. Forest Service.

White-nose Syndrome Bat Recovery May Present Similarities to Some Recovering AIDS Patients

Bats recovering from white-nose syndrome show evidence of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), according to a hypothesis proposed by the U.S. Geological Survey and collaborators at National Institutes of Health. This condition was first described in HIV-AIDS patients and, if proven in bats surviving WNS, would be the first natural occurrence of IRIS ever observed.

USGS National Wildlife Health Center continues WNS Research

New research on white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats will investigate environmental conditions in caves and mines used by hibernating bats. The research will focus on the fungus Geomyces destructans, which causes the fatal disease.

USGS National Wildlife Health Center releases new WNS submission guidelines for researchers

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center today released sample submission guidelines for use by researchers when surveying bat hibernacula or evaluating unusual bat morbidity or mortality during the winter 2011-2012.

Culprit Identified: Fungus Causes Deadly Bat Disease

The appropriately named fungus Geomyces destructans is the cause of deadly white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, according to research published today in the journal Nature.

Resources from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center

Fact sheet, informational material : House Bat Management
Presentation : White-nose Syndrome: An Emerging Fungal Pathogen?
Fact sheet, informational material : Investigating White-nose Syndrome in Bats
Fact sheet, informational material : Investigating White-nose Syndrome in Bats
Report : Geographic Distribution of the Psychrophilic Fungus (Geomyces sp.) Associated with White-nose Syndrome
Fact sheet, informational material : Update on White-nose Syndrome: Tennessee Finding
Fact sheet, informational material : White-nose Syndrome: New Locations in Missouri, Tennessee and Quebec
Fact sheet, informational material : Revised Case Definitions for White Nose Syndrome and Winter 2010/2011 Bat Submission Guidelines
Fact sheet, informational material : Indiana and North Carolina: White-nose Syndrome in Bats Confirmed
Video/Audio : Beyond Billions: Threatened Bats Are Worth Billions To Agriculture (3/31/2011)
Fact sheet, informational material : Universal precautions for the management of bat white-nose syndrome (WNS)
Fact sheet, informational material : Instructions for Reporting Wildlife Mortality Events
Video/Audio : Tattered Wings: Bats Grounded By White Nose Syndrome's Lethal Effects on Life-Support Functions of Wings
Fact sheet, informational material : USGS National Wildlife Health Center winter 2011/2012 WNS submission guidelines
Fact sheet, informational material : USGS NWHC 2012 Summer/Fall Bat Submission Guidelines for Researchers
Fact sheet, informational material : White-nose Syndrome in Bats: U.S. Geological Survey Updates (June 2012)
Research : Paper: Pathology in euthermic bats with white nose syndrome suggests a natural manifestation of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome