More kitchen science on G. Destructans

[Teresa]

Does anyone here know what salts were tried to kill the little guys? On an entirely different front we're writing about deconning felt-soled waders and fishing gear to prevent the spread of didymo, and bilges from spreading zebra mussels and other various molds and mildews.

I have a bedroom window with a wooden frame that weeps, and therefore it is hard to keep the mold down. It's of a shape that replacement would be a custom job, so we have never done so. I use a vinegar/salt spray on it. Supposedly, the vinegar makes an acidic environment, and then the salt does the killing. Whatever it is, it works.

The fishing gear decon instructions also use vinegar/salt, or strong salt water (I'm in a freshwater area) then drying in the sun for gear cleaning, and that makes the local fishing department happy.

Since we're doing kitchen and laundry room science, has anyone tried anything like this on G-D, or were only commercial fungicides used? Is there a list of everything which has been tried?

[BrianC]

Does anyone here know what salts were tried to kill the little guys? On an entirely different front we're writing about deconning felt-soled waders and fishing gear to prevent the spread of didymo, and bilges from spreading zebra mussels and other various molds and mildews.

I have a bedroom window with a wooden frame that weeps, and therefore it is hard to keep the mold down. It's of a shape that replacement would be a custom job, so we have never done so. I use a vinegar/salt spray on it. Supposedly, the vinegar makes an acidic environment, and then the salt does the killing. Whatever it is, it works.

The fishing gear decon instructions also use vinegar/salt, or strong salt water (I'm in a freshwater area) then drying in the sun for gear cleaning, and that makes the local fishing department happy.

Since we're doing kitchen and laundry room science, has anyone tried anything like this on G-D, or were only commercial fungicides used? Is there a list of everything which has been tried?

Many of the most radically uncontrollable bacteria and algae love acidic conditions. The acids allow the extreemaphiles to form waxy paraffin like coatings or shells around their forms creating conditions that are very impenetrable to likely reducers. Obviously the issues with fishing gear creating a habitat for spreading whatever s, in and around your local and regional waterways have been fount to control the spread of didymo using sodium, but knowing if that same treatment will work with Gd is a good question. The acids in vinegar would be used to dissolve the salt crystal, then the sodium would recrystallize once the acid has been evaporated, creating a possible alkaline, I don't know for sure if that is why it has been recommended. I look at the conditia regarding the tests performed with caged bats and review the results pointing at the Gd spores not easily (if at all) being airborne, lends credence that the spores will find to be in the similar family of waxy coated spores and therefore possibly affected by similar treatment. The removal of habitat conditions like temp, will be found to be to the most effective control of White Nose Syndrome, since strong alkalies Which do dissolve the protective coatings in most cases) will evade other troglobitical inhabitants of our underground cave systems.

[PYoungbaer]

Is there a list of everything which has been tried?

Theresa,

Hazel Barton has tested hundreds of substances in her WNS research, and Vishnu Chatuverdi (NYDOH) tested over 2000, as presented in his paper at the 2010 meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. Hazel, Vishnu, and others have tested fungicides, vinegar, hot water, boiling water, etc. ad nauseum. The results of these tests have and continue to advise the cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

The new hot water standard (>122 F for more than 15 minutes) is now being circulated by USWFWS in their training videos, and will appear in the print version once that's released. This is significant. It is a much more easily achieved, yet still proven standard for disinfecting for the fungus. It's important to remind people that it does not replace the initial cleaning and removal of organic material and mud, which could trap spores. It replaces the chemical alternatives for the final phase of disinfection, and is an improvement upon the harder-to-achieve and more-destructive-to-gear boiling water standard.

Frankly, I applaud the creativity of many of the people who have posted methods of obtaining the 122 degrees for at least 15 minutes. If that standard is maintained, it's effective, no matter the specific equipment used to do it.

[BrianC]

It does appear that the heat is effective because the spores must have a protective coating where as the heat would dissolve this, and have then the ability to destroy the active genes.

[Teresa]

Is that paper available anywhere without a multi-dollar fee, Peter?

[PYoungbaer]

Theresa,

Here's one good summary article: http://cen.acs.org/articles/88/i46/Battling-Bat-Fungus.html

Dr. Chatuverdi made a presentation at the September 2010 meeting in Boston of the American Society for Microbiology. Unfortunately, that link is no longer available. I'm not aware that it has been published. Neither has Dr. Keel's research at SCWDS, but it is what is informing USFWS' new protocols.

[BrianC]

nov 2010 ,I started reading and seeing old terminology thinking that this should be stating differing conclusions, then looked at the date of the article.http://cen.acs.org/articles/88/i46/Battling-Bat-Fungus.html