Fungus that causes fatal bat disease found in Louisiana

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A fungus that has killed millions of bats nationwide has been found in Louisiana but has not sickened any bats so far in the state. State wildlife biologist Nikki Anderson says it could take years for white-nose syndrome to show up. The fungus was identified in Mississippi during the past winter, about eight years after the fungus was found there. However, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman says the typical lag time is about a year. Anderson says the fungus was identified in samples taken in March 2021 from two colonies in Natchitoches Parish. The department only recently got the results of confirmation testing. It was found on a bat species that can carry the fungus without getting ill.