The release of 150 bats in Hannibal, Missouri, May 18 marked a milestone for the fight against white-nose syndrome, a disease that’s been decimating bat populations all along the east coast. 

The bats were the first to be successfully treated for white-nose, which is caused by a fungus that invades the bats’ nose, mouth and wings during hibernation, when their immune systems are nearly shut down. 

The treatment being tested is a common North American bacterium that releases gases inhibiting growth of the fungus causing white-nose. The bats’ release shows that it works. The question now is whether the bacterium would have other, undesired, effects on the cave environment. The fungus was first discovered in the U.S. in 2006 and popped up in North Carolina in 2011. Since then, little brown bat populations in Western North Carolina have dropped by an estimated 92 percent, with that number sitting at 78 percent for northern long-eared bats and 77 percent for tri-colored bats. 

The bats released in May survived wintertime exposure to the fungus causing white-nose syndrome, inspiring cautious optimism in those attending the bat release. 

“While more research is needed before we know if our current discovery is an effective and environmentally safe treatment for white-nose syndrome, we are very encouraged,” said the U. S. Forest Service’s Michael T. Rains, who directs the Service’s Northern Research Station and the Forest Products Laboratory.