Fungus serious threat to North American bats

[wyandottecaver]

NZ,

WNS may well be simply another example of nature culling nature. I am opposed to the California Condor Project (though not the land it helps protect for other species) for very similiar reasons. However, in this case I'd argue for the status quo even if we have to take an active role to do it.

I do think this discussion is useful and should be continued. However, my disdain for "middle ground" and other "political BS" arguments, is that they don't address the field issue directly. that is they generally focus on the issue in human terms. I.E. If you and I can agree on some set of decisions that seem reasonable to each of us then we can both be successful because we found middle ground or educated our neighbor, or supported research, etc. and you and I can be happy with each other. But this is not primarily a issue of how different human interest groups can get along....it is a pathogen vs bat issue. Anything that diverts us from saving unexposed colonies or stopping the pathogen in the very very near future is a drain on resources and time IMHO.

[dfcaver]

The spread of WNS is eerily similar to the spread of West Nile Virus. Emerging out of NYC, it spread nationwide much faster than WNS. We all know it's main source of spread to be mosquito based. Interestingly enough, West Nile can infect bats, both through a bite or ingestion. The first place the virus was isolated from bats? Albany, NY.

State of New York
Department of Health

West Nile Virus Confirmed for the First Time in Bats

ALBANY, Aug. 30, 2000 -- The New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Laboratory today confirmed West Nile virus infection in three bats which had been previously submitted for testing. Although it is known that the virus can infect small mammals such as cats and dogs, as well as large mammals, the virus never before has been isolated from bats.

The bats, members of the species called "Big Brown bats," were captured in homes in downtown Albany and sent to the Department of Environmental Conservation's Wildlife Pathology Unit (WPU). Because of concerns about possible rabies exposure to the homes' residents, the animals were euthanized and submitted to the State Health Department's Rabies laboratory. Specimens also were submitted by the WPU to the State Health Department for West Nile virus testing.

"This is another clear indication that there are still many more questions than answers about how West Nile virus is establishing itself in the Western hemisphere," State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H. said. "Scientists are still learning about the extent of the reservoir for the virus and about the interplay between species. The bottom line, of course, remains the potential threat to human health."

Health officials stress that bats infected with West Nile virus cannot transmit illness to humans. Like birds and mammals, however, they can themselves be infected through mosquito bites. It is unclear what part bats may play in the West Nile virus reservoir. In the Western hemisphere, native species of birds are particularly vulnerable to West Nile, and dead bird sightings often indicate that the virus is present in a specific area.

Unlike birds, bats will not be routinely tested for West Nile infection by the State Health Department. Instead, some of the approximately 3,500 bats that are annually submitted for rabies testing will be retained for West Nile virus testing at a later date, as part of continuing research. Dead bird surveillance and testing, on the other hand, is a very sensitive indicator of West Nile virus and dead bird testing is regularly conducted to assess the scope of West Nile's presence throughout New York State.

http://www.health.state.ny.us/press/rel ... nvbats.htm

[tncaver]

The spread of WNS is eerily similar to the spread of West Nile Virus. Emerging out of NYC, it spread nationwide much faster than WNS. We all know it's main source of spread to be mosquito based. Interestingly enough, West Nile can infect bats, both through a bite or ingestion. The first place the virus was isolated from bats? Albany, NY.

I hope this is not considered a silly question. Have the WNS bats been tested for West Nile Virus? Could there be a
correlation?

[Dwight Livingston]

I'm personally skeptical that cavers are a major vector, given that caving has been somewhat popular in the Northeast for at least 60 years, WNS is first going critical mass now, people or their gear show no evidence of being personally affected, and most cavers don't touch or physically disturb the bats or the bats' nearby surroundings.

I would think the sudden appearance of WNS would indicate a new arrival of an infectious organism, rather than a new susceptablity to an organism that's been around. If the latter, I would think you'd see a more patchy immergence based on local stress, not a radial spread.

Given the nature of this fungus, I can not see how either cavers or cave gear would be affected. You wouldn't necessarily see or notice anything with a typical amount of the fungus. Cavers don't seem to be infected, or at least in a way that produces noticable symptoms. That doesn't mean it isn't there. (Still I would not want to handle an infected bat. Talking to my microbiologist friends here at work, they say where you have dense concentrations of a infectious organism, the normal rules may not apply.)

When you said that cavers don't touch bats or their surroundings, I wouldn't take that to mean that cavers can't infect bats. If cavers do infect bats, it would most likely be through dust. Unwashed cave gear can produce a huge amount of dust when you put it on and start moving around. Even washed cave gear usally produces a little, though it is a big improvement. In a cave, the dust has a long hang time and settles everywhere. A bat, particularly a wet bat, would not be an exception. Probably the muzzle would see more dust, due to respiration.

[Anonymous_Coward]

The spread of WNS is eerily similar to the spread of West Nile Virus. Emerging out of NYC, it spread nationwide much faster than WNS. We all know it's main source of spread to be mosquito based. Interestingly enough, West Nile can infect bats, both through a bite or ingestion. The first place the virus was isolated from bats? Albany, NY.

This is an excellent point. To the untrained eye, WNS certainly appears to behave like an exotic species. Its sudden onset, radial spread, and lack of immunity in host organisms all seem to suggest this.

How about y'all that are biologically trained? Would you agree that WNS is likely an exotic, introduced disease? Is there research aimed in this direction? Have we confirmed that this fungus does not exist on other continents? As a kid, I remember the balsam wooly adelgid spreading south down the Appalachian Mtns. in much the same pattern as WNS is now.

How about NY, or Albany in particular? Is there anything in this area that points to a source or introduction site? Does maritime shipping extend up the Hudson to Albany? How about any labs or facilities in the area that may have let this pathogen escape? I am reminded of the Chronic Wasting Disease prion that supposedly escaped from a facility in Colorado to wreak havoc on elk populations.

I know I have asked lots of questions. Answers to any of them would be appreciated, and I realize that the answers may not exist.

[Cheryl Jones]

PMI approved decon procedures:

"Cleaning PMI Ropes
Effect of Bleach on Rope

Because PMI ropes are often used in rescue and other situations where equipment may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens or other infectious substances, we are often asked about appropriate methods for cleaning ropes. In some cases a 10% bleach solution is recommended for cleaning of exposed gear.

In response to questions stemming from a recent discussion on the TagNet discussion board, PMI Production Director Chuck Weber has provided the following guidance for customers who are concerned about the effect of bleach on rope fibers, or for those who have concerns about disinfecting their rope:

PMI suggests that a mixture of 1 part household bleach (with active ingredient of Sodium hypochlorite at 5.25% concentration) with 9 parts room temperature tap water and a 10min or less exposure time, immediately followed by a thorough rinse of room temperature water will not cause any appreciable harm to nylon or polyester ropes.

Of course, it should always be remembered that ropes are a critical element of the life safety system, and it can be difficult to make subjective
decisions about the strength of rope without actually testing it to failure. The prudent course of action is to discard any rope about which there is any
doubt."

[Ernie Coffman]

Here's an article on the problem, once again, today. This one states that cavers might have to stay out of the caves, for the soil they walk on...just might be transferring this disease, so...read on http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/40111942.html

[ek]

PMI approved decon procedures:

"Cleaning PMI Ropes
Effect of Bleach on Rope

Because PMI ropes are often used in rescue and other situations where equipment may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens or other infectious substances, we are often asked about appropriate methods for cleaning ropes. In some cases a 10% bleach solution is recommended for cleaning of exposed gear.

In response to questions stemming from a recent discussion on the TagNet discussion board, PMI Production Director Chuck Weber has provided the following guidance for customers who are concerned about the effect of bleach on rope fibers, or for those who have concerns about disinfecting their rope:

PMI suggests that a mixture of 1 part household bleach (with active ingredient of Sodium hypochlorite at 5.25% concentration) with 9 parts room temperature tap water and a 10min or less exposure time, immediately followed by a thorough rinse of room temperature water will not cause any appreciable harm to nylon or polyester ropes.

Of course, it should always be remembered that ropes are a critical element of the life safety system, and it can be difficult to make subjective
decisions about the strength of rope without actually testing it to failure. The prudent course of action is to discard any rope about which there is any
doubt."

I'm guessing you're posting this in response to my post in which I question whether or not this is PMI's official stance. In short, they told me otherwise. So I contacted them for clarification, and they got back to me to verify that they'd received my email, but Loui McCurley has not yet gotten back to me about the issue. Here are the details.

First off, what you're quoting appears to be an abridgment of the email that Ron Miller forwarded in this post.

I had contacted PMI by email about WNS decontamination on 12/5/2008. Jillian Bartlett from Customer Service replied later that same day (which is awesome). My primary inquiry was with regard to the suitability of putting ropes in washing machines with detergent and hot water, but I did mention the 10 minute soak in 10% bleach. I won't inundate you all with the complete text of my conversation with Jillian Bartlett, but this is the procedure I was asking PMI about:

(1) Wash the rope as ordinarily done (e.g. with a slide-through rope
washer) to remove surface dirt.
(2) Loosely daisy-chain the rope and place it in a large mesh bag.
(3) Place the mesh bag in a large front-loading washing machine, with
a normal amount of standard laundry detergent (not rope soap, as that
would not meet FWS guidelines).
(4) Wash the rope on HOT (with the building's water heater set to
normal, and not elevated, temperature).
(5) Remove the rope from the washer and hang to dry as usual when washing rope.

And this was Jillian Bartlett's full reply to my email (I posted just the part about bleach earlier):

Hello, Eliah-

After going over your inquiry with Kim, in Quality Assurance, she provided this information below:

I hope it helps you, but if you need more information- we'll work to get it for you.


[His suggested washing procedure seems mostly acceptable for both nylon and polyester ropes & equipment. However, I would suggest as you say to use a MILD detergent (not standard detergent as he says below) such as Ivory Snow. And yes, a small amount of liquid fabric softener can be safely added to restore lubricity. He is correct in that the rope WILL shrink after washing, especially if using hot water. Something that's likely obvious but should be noted in any case: this procedure will NOT decontaminate equipment properly in the case of something more serious like bloodborne pathogens. I'm not well-versed in the severity of WNS with regard to potential toxins and/or contamination, so I'm honestly not sure if the standard cleaning would be acceptable in this case. I would tend to err on the side of safety and recommend de-contaminating as if it were a bloodborne pathogen type situation. Unfortunately there is simply a lack of comprehensive information on the details of this new and potentially dangerous disease. For that matter, I'm copying the NFPA guidelines for decontamination using bleach. He mentioned using a 10% solution which is NOT recommended!! See below for the safe way to de-con using bleach (also acceptable for polyester):

The NFPA standard for cleaning rescue gear of blood-borne
pathogens calls for a solution of 60 ml of household bleach for
every 4 liters of tap water, or 1/4 cup per gallon. The item is
soaked for 10 minutes and then thoroughly rinsed off. Alcohol
can then be used to speed drying. The rinse would be very
important to be sure the bleach doesn't damage the nylon over
long time contact.
NOTES:
1) The concentration of bleach explained above is 1.5%.
2) NEVER use a higher concentration of bleach than stated
above. Higher bleach concentrations are known to seriously
damage nylon.
3) ALWAYS rinse the rope thoroughly after the 10 minute exposure
to the bleach mixture.
4) After rinsing, allow the rope to dry in a cool dry place, but
not in direct sunlight. The use of a fan to blow air across the
rope can be used to speed the drying process. Do NOT lay the
rope out on asphalt or concrete surfaces to dry.]

Jillian Bartlett

PMI Customer Service
800-282-7673 ext.238

(Later in the thread Jillian Bartlett indicated to me that Woolite was also acceptable detergent--unfortunately the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service NY Field Office, where I understand the decontamination protocol was developed, has not yet been able to tell me whether or not Woolite and Ivory Snow are considered "conventional detergents" as the term is used in their protocols.)

When my attention was called to this inconsistency in PMI official stance on 2/12/2009, I PM'd Ron Miller and requested that he forward the original email chain. He did so, and on 2/18/2009 I forwarded it to Jillian Bartlett at PMI. I said:

Jillian--

Hi, this is Eliah again. Last week, I was referred to a post on Cavechat (the NSS forum), in which a message indicating that it originated from Loui McCurley at PMI and forwarded several times was reproduced. The original message is about a year old, bearing the date of February 16th, 2008. In the message, McCurley (allegedly) says that PMI approves soaking a rope in 10% bleach solution for 10 minutes, followed by thorough rinsing.

While I myself was not familiar with this, it has apparently been widely circulated and people have been using this procedure on PMI ropes, thinking that you approve it.

So, if what Kim in QA says is correct and this is not a safe procedure, then I figured it would be critical that you know about this. I apologize for my delay in conveying this information to you.

I would request that you let me know, once this situation has been figured out, what the ultimate official word from PMI is on the matter of decontamination with chlorine bleach. Whatever it is, SUOC's institutional setting and potential for mistakes, as well as many people's personal concerns, render the use of bleach a non-option in some situations and I will continue to pursue a non-bleach WNS decontamination procedure consistent with the FWS protocol. The FWS has still not determined whether or not Woolite and Ivory Snow qualify as "conventional detergents," but if and when they give me official information on this I will make sure to let you know.

I asked Ron Miller, who posted the forwarded message to Cavechat, to email me the original message he received. I have forwarded that for you below.

As I believe it is important that you are aware of this bleach situation, I would request that you reply as soon as you get this email, to indicate that you've received it. Email is not 100% reliable.

Thanks,
Eliah Kagan
NSS #57892
Caving Chair, Syracuse University Outing Club
(http://suoc.syr.edu)
degeneracypressure@gmail.com
315-391-9216

(unrelated postscript truncated)

Later that same day, Jillian Bartlett replied with what is, so far, the last message I've received from PMI on the issue:

Eliah

I have received your email, below. I forwarded it to Loui McCurley so that she can respond to it properly. You may hear directly from her, or I may email you back, depending on her schedule. Thank you so much for referring to us about this post and I have no doubt that we can confirm the proper procedure and verify the information you need.

Jillian Bartlett
PMI Customer Service
800-282-7673 ext.238

I'd be pleased to forward this email conversation, and the original one in which Kim in QA indicated that the 9-to-1 bleach solution was too strong, to anyone who wants them. Just PM me about it, and tell me your preferred email address in the PM.

I'll post again about this when I hear back from Jillian Bartlett or Loui McCurley.

[Carl Amundson]

OK, just to paraphrase:
10% bleach solution for decon is too strong
PMI recommends 1.5% bleach solution for decon'ing rope
and ALWAYS rinse the rope thoroughly after the 10 minute exposure to the bleach mixture.

Sorry Eliah, just too many words to read...

[ek]

That's a good summary of what Kim at QA said, according to Jillian Bartlett, and before I called Jillian Bartlett's attention to what Loui McCurley allegedly said.

It may be that the 10% solution is OK, but that there was a mixup.

Or it may be that the 1.5% solution is the maximum that is safe, and that there was a mixup.

I wanted to post the full information, to explain the situation fully. We don't actually know at this point, based on the official statements made by PMI, what is and is not safe.

[PYoungbaer]

junkman,

Yes, too many words to read, but kudos to Eliah for working with the rope mfgrs and USFWS on this.

Your summary is accurate, but the conclusion may not be clear: USFWS says 10% bleach for effective decon; PMI says no stronger than 1.5%. Therefore, PMI's standard does NOT meet USFWS standards for decontamination.

That's why the ardent followup on detergents and hot water temperatures.

The only standard at this point is the USFWS standards. They may change, thanks to Eliah's good work, but please only refer to them. If your rope cleaning can't meet the USFWS standards, don't use it, use another, don't go. We understand that is restrictive, and that' exactly why we are working hard to provide additional USFWS approved options.

Thank you all for your patience and cooperation.

Peter Youngbaer
NSS 16161
WNS Liaison

[PYoungbaer]

Dear Cavers,

There have been a lot of questions, once again, about things like pesticides, West Nile Virus, and other possible environmental toxins. The short answer to these questions is that the research so far has not shown any likely correlation. Hundreds of bats have been necropsied and the evidence isn't there. That is why these areas are not high priorities for research as identified by the science strategy meeting last June in Albany, NY.

I would again refer people to the WNS Liaison page, specifically the Archives, which include detailed coverage of that conference, topics covered and presenters. The website also has a direct link to the conference proceedings, including a graphic representation of the the key hypotheses and strategies to investigate them.

Right now, the fungus is the prime suspect - but no one can conclude it is a primary agent or opportunistic one. That's why other research (such as arousal patterns, immune system responses, fall swarming studies, etc.) continue.

Regarding some of the specific West Nile Virus questions, last year there was another wave of them. I actually downloaded and read the entire New York WNV mitigation plan (it's available publicly). This was developed in response to several encephalitis deaths in New York City. The focus of the mitigation plan was on Manhatten and the immediately adjacent counties. Further, spraying of adult mosquitoes is the last ditch effort, and the final step. Preference is for intercession at the larval stage. As the geographic focus was not near the WNS epicenter in Schoharie County and Albany County, it did not seem to be a likely suspect on its face.

There are other reasons why West Nile is not a likely suspect. Some of these were enunciated in the following response I got from New York's biologist, Carl Herzog last April - reprinted below:

Peter,

Pesticides could possibly be related to this problem in at least two different ways. One is accumulation of contaminants in the bats' bodies. Several folks (our own lab and several others) have looked into this, examining affected bats looking for all of the usual suspects (pesticides, pcb's, heavy metals, etc.) So far nothing significant has shown up, although work continues on this front. West Nile spraying, in particular, mainly involves chemical types (pyrethroids) that seem to have very little possibility to have negative effects on mammals. If that is a problem then it will have to be some new type of effect that hasn't been seen yet in toxicity testing that has been done.

Perhaps you are hinting at the second route, though, that being the potential for reduced insect prey availability for the bats. In some ways this is a more difficult question to answer. If it's part of the problem we won't be able to tell until this late summer / fall, because that's when the bats put on the fat they need for winter. We (and many other agencies) plan to track the condition of bats as they prepare to enter hibernation to see if they are putting on the normal amount of fat.

Sampling insect availability directly seems, at first, to be a more direct approach but it will be a lot harder than it sounds, for several reasons, among them:

1)The affected bats eat a wide variety of insects (moths, caddisflies, small beetles, etc.), so sampling would have to look at a lot of different insect types. By extension, of course, any problem caused by spraying would probably have to be spread across a wide range of insect types.
2) Methods of quantitative sampling for insects are not well developed.
3) Even if we know there are a lot of insects out there it's difficult to tell if they are actually available to the bats as food.

Currently we are thinking the insect availability question seems less likely than other possible causes for a bunch of reasons. One of the most compelling is that we have two hibernacula in the lower Hudson Valley about 1 mile apart. One has been devastated and the other is affected much less. We have good information that the bats in those sites spend the summer in the same places. If it was insect availability on their summer range then the problem should affect both sites equally. Add to that the wide spread nature of the bat problem and its sudden onset. One of our pesticide experts assures me with high degree of certainty that there has been no corresponding increase in insect spraying of any type - for West Nile or otherwise - in NY that could explain this.

All that being said, until we have an explanation we are considering all possibilities.

Thanks for your interest. The caving community has been a wonderful partner in this investigation and we would be a lot further behind in our understanding of this issue without their help. Feel free to pass that on to anyone you see fit.

Carl Herzog
State Wildlife Grants Biologist
NY State Department of Environmental Conservation

[Carl Amundson]

No disrespect to ek intended.
I'm an engineer and I use as few words as possible to get to the point.

I see a huge problem with the recommended decon procedures as stated above.
USFWS recommends 7 times more bleach for an "effective decon" then the manufacture (PMI) recommends.

Rope is our life line when we are on it. All vertical cavers have a hard time with the notion that we have to use bleach on our rope.
Now we are asked to use a strength that the manufacture (PMI) says is too strong.

This is a real issue that needs to be worked out.
I'm all for decon'ing my equipment, but I will not go over what the manufacture says is a safe level of bleach.
We don't need rope failures due to incorrect decon procedures.

[cavergirl]

I see a huge problem with the recommended decon procedures as stated above.
USFWS recommends 7 times more bleach for an "effective decon" then the manufacture (PMI) recommends.

I worked in a plant pathology lab when I was in college (most of the top plant pathogens are fungi). Because this was a University we could not afford to buy new pots every time so we decontaminated them in 10% Bleach. we also soaked seeds to remove any potential pathogens from the outside in 5% bleach. 5% killed surface pathogens but did not harm the seeds, 10% destroyed the pathogens on the pots but would have killed the seeds. I interpret the "discrepancy" above about USFWS and PMI recommendations as: you need 10% in order to decontaminate the rope, BUT anything more that 1.5% will harm the rope. Therefore, you probably can't decon the rope (at least not with bleach.)

[ek]

No disrespect to ek intended.
I'm an engineer and I use as few words as possible to get to the point.

I commend your emphasis on brevity and freely admit that the verbosity of my post interfered with people getting the point. But the summaries of my post (yours and Peter Youngbaer's) thus far have all missed something, so let me summarize the important points of my post:

USFWS stipulates a 10% concentration of bleach, if bleach is the way you're choosing to decontaminate. PMI appears to have made an official statement, at one time, that 10% bleach was OK. But when I contacted PMI, I was told that 10% is too strong and that 1.5% is recommended. I've pointed out this inconsistency to PMI, and they've told me they're looking into it and will get back to me.

The rest of this post is commentary--that was the take-home message.

I see a huge problem with the recommended decon procedures as stated above.
USFWS recommends 7 times more bleach for an "effective decon" then the manufacture (PMI) recommends.

PMI recommended the 1.5% solution in light of how the NFPA states that it is (1) safe for ropes, and (2) sufficient to kill bloodborne pathogens affecting humans.

That it is sufficient to kill bloodborne pathogens does not logically mean that it is sufficient for WNS. WNS is almost certainly not caused a bloodborne pathogen affecting humans, and probably is not caused by any bloodborne pathogen at all.

Rope is our life line when we are on it. All vertical cavers have a hard time with the notion that we have to use bleach on our rope.
Now we are asked to use a strength that the manufacture (PMI) says is too strong.

First of all, we're not actually being asked to use it. USFWS never said "we want you to use 10% concentration of bleach on your ropes." They said, "one way you can decontaminate things is to use 10% concentration of bleach" (that was a paraphrase of course). The official protocols also specify other, non-bleach ways of decontaminating. They may or may not be safe for ropes--that's something I've been working on finding out.

Second, it's not as if we're just now being told to do something. USFWS has stipulated 10% concentration when decontaminating with bleach for some time. Some time ago a message supposedly from PMI was forwarded a number of times and appeared on Cavechat. That message said that 10% bleach was OK. More recently, PMI told me that 1.5% bleach is the highest they're OK with. USFWS is not saying something new that's inconsistent with PMI recommendations--rather, PMI is saying something new that is inconsistent with USFWS recommendations. But (1) USFWS recommendations are not statements of what is safe, and (2) given PMI's excellent history and reputation of customer service and caver-friendliness, I think PMI will have a clarification on this soon, and we'll know whether or not 10% bleach is safe. Obviously, until that happens, it's a bad idea to decontaminate with 10% bleach.

This is a real issue that needs to be worked out.
I'm all for decon'ing my equipment, but I will not go over what the manufacture says is a safe level of bleach.
We don't need rope failures due to incorrect decon procedures.

Agreed!

I think everybody agrees about that. I've spoken with Jeremy Coleman at USFWS and they (1) know that their protocols may or may not provide a safe way to decontaminate load-bearing textiles, and (2) really don't want us to do anything dangerous. Their position has always been that if you can't decontaminate in accordance with the protocols, you shouldn't go caving in circumstances where decontamination is indicated. Obviously this leaves much to be desired, and they know that too, which is why Jeremy Coleman has given me enormous support in trying to figure out a safe procedure consistent with the protocols.