Environmental control reduces white‐nose syndrome infection in hibernating bats

Infectious diseases caused by invasive, environmentally persistent fungal pathogens have increasingly endangered global biodiversity, yet disease management remains a major conservation challenge. A prominent example is white-nose syndrome (WNS), the invasive pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) that has devastated populations of multiple North American bat species, but for which few effective tools exist. Here, we propose strategies to delay environmental transmission Pd during early winter could limit WNS effects across winter, benefitting bats. We used small captive experiment and multi-year field trial on wild, free-ranging bats assess an control strategy manage within its reservoir in Pennsylvania, USA, where become endemic. The centers application Polyethylene Glycol 8000 (PEG) roost substrates summer, prior hibernation, as means disrupt winter. In experiment, immunologically naïve little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) occurred from inoculated with Pd, PEG these effectively blocked this transmission. trial, load infection extent both declined substantially M. lucifugus after treatment relative controls, declines exceeding inter-site inter-annual variation. Pathogen prevalence also big (Eptesicus fuscus). No negative were observed body condition or colony counts microbial community. Together, results are consistent reduced contaminated hibernacula. highlight potential carefully designed managing pathogens.