WNS Research Ideas?

[icave]

I figured I'd start this topic to generate some general discussion in this area. These are some basic research ideas I have and am wondering if anyone is doing this type of research. These are more or less some random thoughts I've been having, but I still think the line of though may carry some merit.

1. Hypothesis - WNS is caused by the identified fungus.
Possible Experiment 1: Direct Fungus to Bat Transmission - Take culture of fungus and expose to otherwise healthy bat to see if bat develops WNS.
Possible Outcome 1: Fungus grows on bat and develops WNS symptoms, confirming WNS due to identified fungus.
Possible Outcome 2: Fungus grows on bat and no symptoms of WNS develop. WNS not primarily due to identified fungus.
Possible Outcome 3: Fungus does not grow on bat. Fungus may not be able to grow on healthy bats, and may not be related to primary WNS cause.

Possible Experiment 2: Environmental Transmission - Take culture of fungus and expose to "cave like" environment. Confirm presence of fungus in "cave like" environment. Place health bat in environment and monitor for development of WNS.
Possible Outcome 1: Fungus grows in environment, grows on bat and bat develops WNS symptoms. WNS confirmed due to identified fungus.
Possible Outcome 2: Fungus grows in environment, grows on bat and bat does not develop WNS symptoms. Fungus not primary cause of WNS, OR fungus may need longer than experiment to have negative effects.
Possible Outcome 3: Fungus grows in environment, but does not grow on bat. Fungus may not be environmental transmissible, able to grow on healthy bats OR fungus not primary cause of WNS, OR fungus may need longer than experiment to affect bat.


2. Hypothesis - WNS is caused by something other than the identified fungus and transmissible through environmental exposure.

Possible Experiment: Environmental Transmission - Place WNS infected bat in "cave like" environment for some time. Remove WNS infected bat. Place health bat in same "cave like" environment for some time and monitor for development of WNS.
Possible Outcome 1: Previously health bat develops WNS symptoms, confirming WNS is environmentally transmissible.
Possible Outcome 2: Bat remains healthy developing no WNS symptoms. WNS may not be environmentally transmissible, or may have incubation period longer than experiment.

What other thoughts are out there? Maybe together we can help give the researchers some good ideas. Personally, I am very happy to see the NSS funding experiments like the soil sampling. It seems like a very basic thing to confirm if this identified fungus is in other caves as well as the WNS caves/mines.

[cavergirl]

Peter Youngbaer has already posted all that on the NSS WNS page: http://www.caves.org/WNS/WNS%20Info.htm
On the right side of the page he put a link to the Albany WNS Science Strategy Conference Proceedings where all the research plans were laid out
http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/WNSMtgRptFinal2.pdf
and a link to the WNS Scientific Research Summary and Status (3/15/09) http://www.caves.org/WNS/WNS2009research.pdf

It is a shame that Peter does all this work and people just spout their own gripes and opinions and never read anything.

perhaps there is a reason why we were given two eyes, two ears and only one mouth

[ArCaver]

I got two eyes, two ears one mouth and three keyboards. I bet the researchers sometimes repeat the same ideas too.
Just a random thought, have they looked for a bat biologist that did work in the Tongass, before working in the NE, who also has a persistent nail fungus?

[NZcaver]

I got two eyes, two ears one mouth and three keyboards. I bet the researchers sometimes repeat the same ideas too.

Three keyboards? That's a lot of fingers!

Just a random thought, have they looked for a bat biologist that did work in the Tongass, before working in the NE, who also has a persistent nail fungus?

Why the Tongass? Do you know something we don't?

[wyandottecaver]

because the Tongass would be a nice starting point for a cold loving fungus that eats toenails :)

[ArCaver]

because the Tongass would be a nice starting point for a cold loving fungus that eats toenails :)

...and fingernails, and hair/fur.

[wyandottecaver]

and antique glass apparently:)

[icave]

Peter Youngbaer has already posted all that on the NSS WNS page: http://www.caves.org/WNS/WNS%20Info.htm
On the right side of the page he put a link to the Albany WNS Science Strategy Conference Proceedings where all the research plans were laid out
http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/WNSMtgRptFinal2.pdf
and a link to the WNS Scientific Research Summary and Status (3/15/09) http://www.caves.org/WNS/WNS2009research.pdf

It is a shame that Peter does all this work and people just spout their own gripes and opinions and never read anything.

perhaps there is a reason why we were given two eyes, two ears and only one mouth

First, thank you for re-posting the links, as I should have included them in my original post. However, I assumed that anyone responding in this topic would have already read that information, several times. Not to be a PITA, but I had already read the results of the WNS Strategy Meeting ages ago, and had recently read the update. It's a shame you don't know more about what someone has/has not read before getting rude about it.

The write up of the WNS Strategy Meeting contains a similar discussion about some possible experiments, but nothing posted about who was doing anything specifically. I aghast that you may happen to think that all of the possible ideas could have been thought of and discussed last June. It tend to take a much more open minded approach to scientific research and would never presume that everything has already been all thought out. This is especially true when dealing with something with as many unknown variables as WNS.

The current update (March 09) gets much more specific, but I believe some of the issues I raised are slightly different than the experiments being done. If you go back and re-read the information you so rudely assumed I had not read, you may notice this. I'd suggest that you make it a habit of actually reading vs. skimming before you get accusatory next time. Further, God forbid someone try to spark a productive conversation on this topic. Maybe we should all just go back to ranting.

Again, if you read what I posted and the information from the Strategy Meeting, and current research updates....TaDa....they are different.

Sorry to be so pissy myself, but you were just plain rude, espically in the light of my effort to generate a thoughtful discussion on the topic.