Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries reports Geomyces destructans found on another species: Southeastern Myotis. The following is excerpted from the USFWS alert:
An individual Myotis austroriparius was collected from Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County and sent to the National Wildlife Health Center for WNS testing.
5/10/10 This single bat was found alive but very debilitated and heavily parasitized on the ground during daylight hours in Pocahontas State Park (Chesterfield Co., VA) on 5/1/10. The animal died shortly after capture and was noted to have flaking on its arms and be dehydrated. Bat was submitted to NWHC on 5/7 for testing for white-nose syndrome (WNS). Brain from this animal tested POSITIVE for rabies. The VA Public Health Dept. has been notified of this case PCR and histology are pending for WNS testing.
6/3/10 PCR of both wing and muzzle tissues from this specimen have tested POSITIVE for Geomyces destructans, the fungal agent causing skin infections in WNS affected bats. Follow-up sequencing was a 100% genetic match for G. destructans. Histologic examination of the muzzle, ear and wing tissues did not have evidence of fungal infection in the sections observed. Further examination of the tissues is being pursued to look for isolated areas of fungal skin infection. Until these results are available, this bat is considered "suspect positive" for WNS because it did harbor the fungus associated with the disease as confirmed by PCR and sequencing. This represents a new species of bat that has come in contact with G. destructans although the species susceptibility to develop WNS is currently not known.