Fungus causing bat disease found in cave

MAQUOKETA (AP) ? A fungus that causes a deadly disease in bats has been detected inside Maquoketa Caves State Park despite years of efforts to prevent it from reaching there, wildlife officials said.

A low level of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome was found in a hibernating big brown bat in one of the caves that was tested in March as part of a national study aimed at stopping the spread of the disease, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said.

The disease has killed bats in the northeastern U.S. and Canada, and wildlife officials have been trying to contain it. They say healthy bat populations are important ecologically and economically, including for the agriculture industry, because bats provide pest control by feeding on harmful insects.

The fungus was not discovered in any of the 14 other bats that were swabbed at one cave in Maquoketa, and DNR official Daryl Howell said in a news release it?s hard to say what the finding means because of the low level of fungus detected.

But for the agency and those who climb in the caves, Howell said the presence of the fungus means ?we now go from trying to prevent the fungus from getting into the cave to trying to prevent it from getting out.?

The Maquoketa Caves, for decades a popular recreational spot in eastern Iowa, were closed for two years because of concerns about white-nose syndrome spreading to the 400 bats that hibernate there in the winter. The caves were reopened this spring to those who get permits and go through an education session with DNR officials.

DNR officials will add mats with disinfection solution for people to walk across to decrease the odds the disease will spread to other caves and bat populations.

Visitors to Maquoketa Caves will be warned not to visit other caves with clothing or gear used there.