May 26, 2009

I am writing to let you know about a possible Ontario case of white nose syndrome, a condition linked to bat mortality in the northeastern United States.

As a result of the spread of this syndrome in the U.S., the Ministry of Natural Resources has been monitoring bat habitats. We have identified bats that appear to show symptoms in a cave in eastern Ontario. Laboratory testing is now underway to identify whether this condition is present.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is concerned due to the significant mortality being observed in the United States’ bat populations.  Bats, like all species, are an important part of Ontario’s biodiversity. 

As a precaution before testing is completed, we are notifying individuals who are likely to enter caves or come into contact with bats over the next few weeks.

There is no known human health risk associated with white nose syndrome in bats.  The syndrome has been circulating through caves in the northeastern U.S. for more than two years.  Thousands of people have visited some of these caves and no illnesses have been reported.

Due to the potential impact on bat populations, we are asking the public to refrain from entering all non-commercial caves and abandoned mines where bats may be present to prevent possible transmission of the condition to other locations.

We encourage wildlife rehabilitators to report unusual bat mortality to your local Ministry of Natural Resources office or the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre at 1-866-673-4781.

Wildlife Rehabilitators are valuable sources of information on the health of wildlife.  The Ministry has developed a series of specific precautionary measures for rehabilitators to implement in order to help minimize the spread.  Those suggested measures are enclosed with this letter.

For more information about White Nose Syndrome, please read the enclosed fact sheet. [see below]

We will notify you of the results of the testing once they are available. If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please contact your local Ministry of Natural Resources office.

Deb Stetson

Manager Wildlife Section

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

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The following considerations are for wildlife rehabilitators prior to transportation of live bats:

1. Live bats should not be directly handled by the general public.  Encourage them to transfer bat(s) to a secure box with lid using objects that can be cleaned and disinfected or saturated with disinfectant and discarded in the trash.

2. Place the transport box inside another clean box or bag before placing it inside the vehicle to transport to the rehab facility.  Ask the public to clean off their shoes with water and/or 10% bleach disinfectant prior to leaving their property in the transport vehicle or ask the public to transfer the bat to you outside of your bat care facility.

3. Do not open the transport box to examine the bats until you are inside the dedicated bat quarantine room (see Quarantine, Isolation and Handling Section).

4. If selected individuals are identified to pick up and transport sick bats reported by the public to rehab facilities, these individuals should follow strict cleaning and disinfection protocols (see below) of their vehicles following each transport event if WNS is suspected.

   • Primary cleaning should be done first to remove as much organic debris as possible. Debris should be brushed or scraped from the vehicle. Washing of the vehicle should follow. High pressure spraying equipment (i.e., 200 - 1000 psi) may help to clean wood pores, cracks and crevices.

   • The vehicle should always be cleaned from top to bottom. Also be sure to wash the underside of fender wells and the vehicle frame.

    

   Apply an appropriate disinfectant with a low pressure sprayer and allow its proper contact time to elapse. Iodophor disinfectants are commonly used for vehicle disinfection and are considered to have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. They are also considered more environmentally safe than phenolic disinfectants and more stable than hypochlorite-based compounds.  The interior of the vehicle should also be thoroughly cleaned.

    

   The following considerations address quarantine, isolation, and handling of possibly infected bats:

    

1. The bat quarantine area should be a separate, contained room dedicated to only housing WNS-suspect bats.  Outside flight-conditioning cages should be kept away from other species pens and separated from each other by a minimum of 20 ft.

2. Once an animal enters the quarantine room, it should be considered exposed to WNS if other bats are present and not be returned to the general patient population. 

3. Stock all necessary animal care supplies you will need inside the bat quarantine room so that you will not have to repeatedly enter and exit this area once inside.  If possible, have someone from outside the room bring any forgotten item to place just inside the door so you do not have to exit the room once bat handling has begun.  Ideally, there should be a dedicated set of supplies that are only used in this room.  When it is necessary to remove items from the room for thorough cleaning and disinfection, do not mix these items with other supplies from outside the room.  Clean and disinfect quarantine room items separately from the rest of facility supplies, including laundry.

4. All bats entering a rehab facility should be held in quarantine for a minimum of 30 days before being transferred to a pre-release flight cage.  Any individual bat or group of bats collected from the same location (within 1 km) AND same time period (3 weeks) can be housed together upon admission. 

5. DO NOT house bats collected from different locations (greater than 1km apart) together at any point during the rehabilitation process.  Each quarantine group will require its own pre-release flight cage.

6. Bats received from known WNS affected areas should be housed in a separate, contained area (separate room) from all other animals.  If WNS–suspect bats cannot be isolated from other animals under one’s care in a separate room, then bats should not be accepted as patients.

7. Tree bats should NOT be housed at the same facility as those caring for cave dwelling bats such as little browns, big browns, northern long-ears, or eastern pipistrelles from areas where WNS is suspected or confirmed.

8. Bats from known WNS affected sites should be handled only after other bat patients have been handled to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

9. Bats should only be handled using disposable exam gloves and wearing dedicated, protective clothing (i.e.: coveralls, smock/scrubs, Tyvek suit, rain gear) that should be removed prior to exiting the room.  Disposable shoe covers or rubber boots that can be clean and disinfected are recommended foot wear when inside bat housing areas.  Launder protective clothing according to protocol at least once weekly or whenever they become soiled.  It is highly recommended that personnel working inside the bat quarantine shower upon exiting the room/flight cages and before they handle any other patients in the main facility.

10. Animal cages should be located as far from the entry/exit doors as possible and away from blowing fans/vents to reduce the risk of aerosolization of fungal spores and contamination outside of the quarantine room.

11. Limit the number of people who have access to the bat isolation room and pre-flight cages.

12. Disinfectant foot baths should be used upon exiting any room/flight cage area housing bats to reduce the risk of unintentional transmission of condition to outside the bat holding room.  Use a boot brush to wash all upper and lower surfaces of boots while standing in the bath.  Boots can then be allowed to air dry and removed at the room entrance.  Bath changing frequency depends on the type of disinfectant but should be changed out whenever it becomes dirty if prior to the scheduled replacement.

TO DOWNLOAD A PDF FILE FACT SHEET

ON WHITE NOSE SYNDROME IN BATS

FROM THE MNR

PLEASE CLICK HERE

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