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Mitigating WNS Testing use of a Probiotic to Reduce Bat Mortality Caused by White-Nose Syndrome (Annual Update) COA-F24-W-3929
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2024
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In 2023 we continued to apply a cocktail of four anti-Pd bacteria to roost surfaces of three treatment sites in B.C., and we began the first set of probiotic applications at three treatment sites in Washington state (via partnerships with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Woodland Park Zoo). The 5 BC study sites of this trans-border project are in the Greater Vancouver/Sea-to-Sky Area each are mixed maternity roosts of Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and Yuma Myotis (M. yumanensis), treatment sites being : Colony Farm Regional Park, Alice Lake Provincial Park and Stave Lake BC Hydro Installation, and the controls sites being: Burrvilla House (in Deas Island Regional Park), and Stanley Park (new as of 2023). At the 3 treatment sites, bats use buildings and bat boxes. In this report, we report largely on results from 2023, with some inclusion of 2022 results as these were not completed in time for our March 2023 reporting. Because this report was partially updated in March 2025, we have also provided some context for 2023 results based on new findings in 2024. In brief, we have determined that the probiotic bacteria appear to be naturally spread among bats of a region, which is greatly beneficial for this method of disease mitigation. Details of this discovery will be reported on fully in the March 2025 annual report of the 2024 field season.
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wsi_6010_rpt_2023Probiotic.pdf
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Mitigating WNS - Testing use of a Probiotic to Reduce Bat Mortality Caused by White-Nose Syndrome - Project Number: COA-F25-W-4098
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2025
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In 2024, we continued to apply a cocktail of four anti-Pd bacteria to roost surfaces of six treatment sites in BC and Washington state (WA) (via trans-border partnerships with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Woodland Park Zoo). All 11 treatment and control sites are mixed maternity roosts of Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus, MYLU) and Yuma Myotis (M. yumanensis, MYYU). The treatment sites are: Colony Farm Regional Park, Alice Lake Provincial Park and Stave and Hayward Lakes BC Hydro Installation in BC, and Baker Lake, Haven and Lake Chelan in WA. The control sites are: Burrvilla House (in Deas Island Regional Park), and Stanley Park in BC, and Hwy 530, Trek and Sunnyside in WA.
We conducted swab-sampling of both bat roosts and bat wings at all treatment (6) and control (5) sites and 2024 results here for BC and WA. All BC samples have tested Pd negative, while all WA sites tested Pd-positive, with some signs of WNS disease observed at control sites The Pd status of certain sites fluctuated between years. Probiotic transfer and persistence varied depending on site, time of roost application of probiotics (spring vs summer), and type of probiotics used (fresh versus freeze-dried).
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wsi_6010_rpt_2024.pdf
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