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ron_miller wrote:It apparently took three years of trials before researchers could even get bat-to-bat transmission to work in a lab setting
ron_miller wrote:Second, and more importantly, we already know from other studies that bats can contract WNS solely from an infected environment, without the possibility of ANY contact with infected bats (Hicks and others, 2010 - healthy bats from Wisconsin, introduced into two known WNS-affected mines in Vermont from which all other bats were excluded, still contracted WNS).
tncaver wrote:Perhaps another study should be conducted to see if infected bats must touch "specific" body parts to spread the disease such as mouth or genitals or can it be spread by bats simply touching wings. A study could also be conducted to determine how much airflow (if at all possible) would it take to spread WNS via airborne particles. The information could be refined to help understand just how difficult it is for humans to spread WNS. Anyone up for this research?
Seriously, this research needs to be done.
Hazel wrote:
Science does not proceed based on negative data and hence we are working on determining what role, if any, that humans play in the spread of WNS. We have a large grant from the USFWS to do this and the work is currently ongoing.
Hazel
Hazel wrote:It does not mean that we no longer need to decontaminate. It does mean, as Tim Williams stated, human impact is "likely minimal and can be managed with decontamination'. It is important that we continue to work with land managers and the public to ensure that we continue to decontaminate until additional information becomes available.
Hazel wrote:The experiment with air dispersal didn't work - given the conditions and limitations on the experiment it doesn't show anything, one way or the other.
The evidence that it was a bat that brought it is circumstantial only.. It goes along this line:
1. New York City is the closest, largest port to Europe.
2. Albany is the closest regional distribution center to NYC.
3. Containers aren't opened until they reach a regional center (and are split up into smaller shipments).
4. In the years following 9/11, monitoring of imports dwindled (with a low in about 2005, coincident with the exposure of bats (which manifested in Feb 2006).
5. Commercial caves are frequently the most photographed, leading them to be preferentially selected as the initial site. (which means it may have been in a couple other caves, but there is no documentation).
Hazel wrote:Brian, I'm not quite sure what you mean by this " Why do you say that information gained here shows a negative on human impact?"
I didn't say anything about human impact, I said that science does not proceed on negative data. The experiment with air dispersal didn't work - given the conditions and limitations on the experiment it doesn't show anything, one way or the other.
Hazel
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