Soil Samples

[reeffish1073]

I thought i saw it somewhere! Out of all the soil samples taken in the 2008/2009 season from the many caves across the east. How many were tested? I know it was reletively few from what i remember. and most if all (tested samples) were samples from known wns caves. Makes a person wonder if there is not some untold story on the samples not tested! It just seems odd that of the past 3 confirmed sites for WNS only a couple of bats at each site are positive tests for WNS. It makes me wonder if WNS has been around for some considerable time, and now everyone is looking for it across the east, and we are finding one or two bats here and there. It just seams that the front line moved too fast from South West Virginia to the Smokeys, Dunbar Cave, and then Missouri. It also makes me wonder about the NE bats, and that there is some other factor causing the mass die off's, and something else contributeing to a supressed immune system? I am curious to know mortality rates in the southern areas of the WNS front. the Virginia, West Virginia area over the last couple of years. We have been told that it is greater than 90% from the NY area, but i have never seen numbers from the Virginia area caves. Also what about a body mass index on the bats collected from these new sites too. Were they healthy looking other than WNS, or just plain sickly looking from burning there fat reserves off? Sorry for my rambleing, but i just feel there are more questions that need to be answered!!!! Just trying to think outside the box!!!

[dfcaver]

Most central PA WNS sites are approaching 90-95% population loss, based on numbers that I have been hearing. In most cases, this has been reached in the second winter of full blown infection.

One site, just monitored, typically held hundreds of bats when visitation resumed the first weekend of May each spring, and that has been the pattern for years. The site was counted in early April 2010 by wildlife officials, hoping to get a better count before the bats left for the spring. The cave contained just seven bats, two of which were already dead, and several of the survivors were clearly WNS positive.

So, based on limited information, WNS seems as deadly into south central PA as northern NY. It appears to have a three year arc of infection - first year, very limited; second year - mass death; third year - most of the survivors.

[PYoungbaer]

NJ, VT, NH, MA the same. I haven't seen Virginia comparisons yet, either, but the NSS and USFWS have specifically funded a project to track the progression. Read the project summary of grant 2009-3 on the following link:

http://www.caves.org/WNS/RRF%20Grants%20Fall%202009.pdf

[Chads93GT]

You know, it would be nice if we had the ability to get portable soil testing kits that we can do right in the cave. Granted im no chemist or biologist, but I was wondering how the soil was tested and if it is something that can be done on site to know instantly if the cave is contaminated.

[PYoungbaer]

No way, Jose. This has been discussed on another WNS thread:

http://www.forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=9922

[Pannkuk]

There are PCR machines that are made for field use. but your not going through thousands of samples out in the field.