White-Nose Syndrome Continues Devastation

Since no one else seems to be able to take a stab in the dark, I say the answer just might be chorine. Bear with me here . . .

Out of my own experience, not only with a incurable rare genetic disease (and another chronic disease that has reared its ugly head), I can tell you that my immune system is beyond ‘caput’, and bi-monthly corticosteroid spinal injections have compromised it even further. With an almost negative zero immune system, I am highly vulnerable to various things – from viruses, bacteria and even fungal infections – of which, I contracted ringworm (yes, it is a fungus – not an actual worm) from a stupid floor pillow that I bought at a large discount retail store (ends w/ an xx), that we could only assume – after the fact – that it was a return at some point before I purchased it (lucky me). Ironically, no one else in the house contracted it – not even my 3 dogs at the time, and took me 8 months & 2 rounds of Rx (w/ nasty side effects) to finally get rid of it (after we got the contaminated environment under control = disposing of EVERYTHING I owned, incl. clothes, new furniture, etc.). Then there was the dog bite (not my dogs) that sent me to the ER, only to get a nasty round of CIPRO (antibiotic) that killed everything (e.g. flora) in my ‘gut’ & resulted in C. Dfficile (muchlike disentary, that can kill) & took another 10 mos to get rid of.

Now, with that in mind – on to the bats . . . we live in New Milford CT, in the middle of wildlife central (e.g. hundreds of acres of farm, grass, scrub & woodland)/ We have hundreds of bats here, that can be easily viewed in the early hours of the morning gorging themselves on the insects that buzz high above the treeline – most likely coming from the stream & wetlands buried among them, or sunning themselves in the tree tops as the sun rises. I have often seen them swooping down & scimming across the waterline in our pool, getting themselves both more insects and a good drink of (chlorinated) water. Hence, my guess as to what may also be a contributing factor in this nasty fungus acquisition.

With everything that I have been through, it only seems logical to me that it might be a possibility that these bats may also be suffering some sort of compromised immune system – should the drinking of this chlorinated water accunulate in their systems. There is no doubt that chlorine kills just about anything, and in such a diluted form as pool water, I logically can assume that it has to have some effect on these bats’ health – in whatever capacity.

I know as fact, that these bats (semi-hibernating in caves during winter months) are not necessarily dying first hand due to the fungi alone, but are actually ‘starving to death’ because of a lack of a certain chemical (found in their gut) that is used to break down insect exo-skeletons while these bats are in hibernation. Just like bears, they stock up on this food source to last them throughout the winter months, and the dead bats they are finding within the caves certainly do have enough insects accumulated to last the winter. It is the chemical, CHITINASE, that seems to be missing. So, why would chlorine or even some type of pesticide that these bats are regularly exposed to during spring/ summer/ fall months not be playing some part in the depletion of Chitinase in their systems – similarly to a human having their immune systems or ‘gut flora’ compromised from some outside source introduced into the body?

Like I said, it’s just a guess – but at least a logical guess is more than no guess at all . . . . and could be something to look into – even if it is another source.