http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/5/11-1711_article.htm
Examining gene fragments from samples collected on Little Brown and Tricolored bats from Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, and West Virginia, the authors compared with those from ground-zero sites near Albany, New York.
Important conclusions of the authors state:
andThese data would support the novel-pathogen hypothesis for the origin of bat geomycosis.
The environmental factors that led to introduction or reemergence of G. destructans in mines and caves remain unknown, and their contribution in the spread of the fungus through air, water, and soil is yet to be determined. Although no direct evidence has emerged (emphasis added), a role for anthropomorphic activities (occupational or recreational) in this spread is a distinct possibility. We provide genetic evidence for further spread of a single genotype of G. destructans from Albany, New York, to locations in the midwestern and southern United States. Experimental transmission of geomycosis from infected bats to healthy bats by direct contact has recently been confirmed. Therefore, G. destructans might be rapidly spreading along summer and winter migration routes of bats, which present ample opportunities for mixing of healthy and diseased animals.
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