Researchers trying to slow the spread of a disease that has killed more than a million bats are testing anti-fungal solutions in a hard-hit hibernation cave.
New York Department of Environmental Conservation researchers hope topical anti-fungal agents applied to about 250 bats in an old iron mine on the edge of the Adirondacks will fight white-nose syndrome–named for the sugary looking smudges of fungus on the noses and wings of hibernating bats.
State wildlife biologist Al Hicks said Tuesday that researchers will revisit the mine at the end of winter to see if the anti-fungal compounds – which are similar to those used to treat athlete’s foot – help the bats survive.
White-nose has been detected in nine states since it was first noticed in upstate New York in 2006.