In 2006, when researchers in New York state found piles of dead bats in four caves near Albany, they didn't know exactly what they were dealing with, and, for the most part, scientists still don't.

White-nose syndrome in bats, so named because of the white ring of fungus found on their muzzles, and occasionally on ears and wings, has devastated the hibernating bat population in the Eastern United States and is most likely coming this way. It is expected to reach Michigan in about three years. Because bats eat insects, they are beneficial animals to the farming industry, and this is where the impact of the disease will most likely be felt.

It is still unclear how, exactly, the syndrome is killing the bats, but many researchers believe it is causing them to wake up too frequently during hibernation and use up their fat stores, weakening their immune systems. Thus far, the disease has only shown itself in hibernating bats, which will be a problem for Michigan, particularly northern Michigan, when the disease does reach the state, as little brown bats, the most common bat in northern Michigan, hibernate in large numbers in abandoned mines and caves in the Western Upper Peninsula.

"The little brown bat [will be effected] primarily, because you go into the mines of the Western Upper Peninsula and we have some mines up there with 50,000 of them hibernating," said Eastern Michigan University biology professor Allen Kurta. "The big brown bats are present, but usually in smaller numbers. They’re hardier and they can hibernate in a large number of different locations, including inside the walls of heated buildings. We’ll probably have four species that are going to be effected, and primarily that effect will be seen in the Western U.P. That’s where they hibernate and that’s where they’re going to obtain it, probably."

It is not conclusive yet how the disease is spreading. Most scientists think it can be spread from bat to bat in large hibernating groups and also from people visiting and climbing in caves.

"The Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service and others think that that is plausible," Dr. Kurta said. "There are studies being done trying to determine whether or not you can actually transport it by people moving from cave to cave, but there is some evidence to suggest that that might be true, and that is the fact that the fungus jumps very rapidly from certain caves to other caves. Those caves, in both instances, happened to be caves that were favored by cavers, by spelunkers. So, its not a smoking gun but its enough to make you think, well, you know you might have expected it to be in all these little caves in between. Why did it jump from this real nice cave to this real nice cave all of a sudden? So that’s why the Fish and Wildlife Service has all sorts of restrictions on, if you have an endangered species permit. The Forest Service has closed all caves in the east to cavers for that reason. It’s just precautionary. We dont know for certain, but there is this suggestion that it might be transported by people as well as by bats. So, the idea is to try to slow it down as much as possible."

The disease began in New York and has spread to caves in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, and is approximately 150 miles from Kentucky. Most scientists believe it will reach Michigan in approximately three years, as some Michigan bats go to areas in Kentucky to hibernate.

According to Dr. Kurta, many believe the disease originated in Europe, as recent tests show that a bat fungus there has the same genetic make-up as White Nose Syndrome, and that North American bats' behaviors may be different enough that they are affected more strongly by it, especially as North American bats tend to hibernate in large colonies. There are few large colonies in Europe. These scientists are still uncertain about how it could have gotten here.

One of the many problems in thwarting this disease is establishing what is causing it. The fungus was only classified as such this summer.

Dr. Karen Francl of Radford University in Virginia has been researching and monitoring for signs of the disease in bats in Pennsylvania, where many caves have been infected.

"We do survey stuff, so I see the effects of it rather than what most people see during the winter, which is the actual white nose," she said. "I see a lot of damaged wing tissue, a lot of holes, a lot of tears, a lot of scars, just poor health in general, but the bats that I see don’t necessarily have the white ring around their nose or anything like that. The white on their nose is a fungus and that only grows when they’re in hibernation and their temperatures are lower. So by the time they come out of hibernation, the fungus is not at the right temperature to grow, but, obviously they’ve suffered because of it, or something linked to it. They tend to be very poor at repairing their own damaged tissue, or maybe not even be able to make healthy tissue.

Researchers are not yet sure if the fungus is causing the problems she sees, Dr. Franci said. “A lot of funguses are not necessarily the main agents for making animals sick. A lot of times, it’s just something that’s a byproduct that the animals’ immune system is already low, which allows the fungus to come in and take residence."

Many of the impacts of significant bat population losses would be felt in the agricultural community, Dr. Francl noted.

"I would think that, in the long run, probably a lot of farmers -- everybody in the agricultural business -- is going to be the group that’s harmed the most," she said, "because, obviously, bats are a natural predator of a lot of insect pests for the crops, so having a huge market decline in bats is going to probably increase the need for humanmade pesticides, which can get pricey and is not always a healthy alternative."

Another area of uncertainty is how Michigan, and other states, can keep the disease at bay.

"I think it's kind of being handled on a state-by-state basis as it's moving,” she said, “but there are a lot of people that are worried about this. Places like Michigan, where it hasn't hit yet but it's expected to hit pretty soon. Until we find out what the causative agent is, we're kind of stuck sitting on our hands, trying to prevent spread as much as we can, but without knowing what the cause is, there's nothing that you can do that's proactive about it."

Many states, like Virginia, are blocking access to mines, hoping to halt the human spread of the disease, and researchers like Dr. Francl are taking extra precautions while studying bats, like disposing of gloves after handling each bat and bleaching equipment, but, thus far, there seems to be little people can do to prevent it from spreading between the bats themselves.

"It's hard to study them in caves, because they're all spread out up high," said Dale Smart of the Michigan Organization for Bat Conservation. "It's not easy, but it's [in nearly] 10 states now, in just a few years. But it may be that it's just over in sites that were already infected. It's hard to say whether it's spreading rapidly."

Small amounts of federal funding were recently made available for research and prevention of White Nose Syndrome by the National Speleological Society. Scientists can now apply for an $800,000 grant for syndrome research, but no other federal steps have been taken.

The state of Michigan does not have a biologist dedicated to bats, like many other states. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is beginning to block human access to many bat hibernation areas, and some unused mines in the western U.P. have been closed to access.

Michigan is still in the preliminary stages of prevention. The DNR is arranging meetings this summer with out-of-state professionals and plans to send out a formal doctrine to all state departments in the fall.

The biggest step for Michigan is spreading awareness, Dr. Francl said, especially about the benefits that bats provide.

"Just, honestly, being aware that it's out there is good first step for a lot of people who aren't really understanding of bats that much and just understanding and appreciating what bats can do for us economically as well as ecologically," she said. "They're very important."