Hoyt finds bat-killing fungus in China for first time
he fungus that causes white nose syndrome—an often-fatal disease that has decimated populations of several bats species in eastern North America—has been found in several spots throughout eastern China. This is the first time that is has been documented in Asia, significantly enlarging its known range.
Researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Northeast Normal University in China found the fungus in 9 of the 12 sites they sampled, including mines and caves where the bats hibernate. The scientist identified the fungus during sampling trips in the summer; when they returned to 5 of the 9 infected sites during the winter, they found bats infected with the fungus at all five, says Joseph Hoyt, a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz.
