May 6, 2014
A service of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation
OKLAHOMA REMOVED FROM LIST OF SUSPECTED BAT FUNGUS
AREAS
After re-examining an Oklahoma bat specimen
originally tested in 2010, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey
National Wildlife Health Center have dropped Oklahoma from the list of areas
where White-Nose Syndrome in bats has been suspected or confirmed.
The scientists have also removed the Cave Myotis
(Myotis velifer) from the list of bat species that have tested positive for
the fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) that has been associated with
White-Nose Syndrome, which since 2006 has killed millions of hibernating
bats primarily in the eastern United States and Canada.
The Oklahoma specimen was collected in a private
Woodward County cave in May 2010, and at the time appeared to have the
fungus. While original test results were positive for the fungus associated
with White-Nose Syndrome, new testing procedures have revealed the bat was
not infected with the fungus and did not show characteristic lesions.
Five bats tested from that private cave in 2010-11,
along with 81 swabs from that cave and surrounding caves taken in 2013-14,
failed to show the presence of the fungus. This monitoring will continue in
24 caves across the state.
Shortly after the suspected case of White-Nose
Syndrome, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation created the
Oklahoma Bat Coordinating Team, composed of at least 20 entities that have
direct bat and cave management responsibilities. The team created a
communication plan involving scientific cooperators, interested parties,
stakeholders and user groups on bat and cave management, bat research and
bat diseases in Oklahoma. The team has been active in creating the state's
White-Nose Syndrome Response Plan and participating in disease surveillance
work in multiple cave systems in Oklahoma.
Wildlife Department biologists commended the U.S.
Geological Survey National Wildlife Heath Center's continued efforts to
ensure accuracy and transparency in diagnostic results.
For more information on White-Nose Syndrome, visit
whitenosesyndrome.org. For general information about bats including a "Bats
of Oklahoma Field Guide," visit wildlifedepartment.com.
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News Contacts: Don P. Brown or Micah Holmes (405)
521-4632
Website:
www.wildlifedepartment.com E-mail:
info@odwc.state.ok.us This program receives federal assistance from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and thus prohibits discrimination on the
basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and sex
(gender), pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as
amended), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age
Discrimination Act of 1975, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. To request an
accommodation or informational material in an alternative format, please
contact the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation by calling (405)
521-3855. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program,
activity, or service, please contact U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, Attention: Civil Rights
Coordinator for Public Access, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203.