Bats in Lawrence County tested positive for White-nose Syndrome, a deadly fungus endangering the bat population.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said since the first discovery in New York, White-nose Syndrome has killed more than a million cave-hibernating bats in eastern North America.

More than 1,300 bats were in a mine in Lawrence County where the disease has been confirmed.

“We’re not exactly sure how it is killing the bats, but it grows while hibernating,” said Katrina Schultes, wildlife biologist. “They go into a deep sleep, and they slow down their metabolism, don’t breathe fast, don’t eat and shut down their immune system.”

She said the fungus grows into the skin tissue, rather than the surface.

“We don’t know what the mechanism is, but the bats are waking up way too often during the winter. The fungus also causes lesions on their wings and exposed skin membranes. The thought is it might be messing up their water balance. They’re dehydrating.”

Schultes added that when the bats wake up during their hibernation period, they fly out of the caves and find no food to eat during the winter.

“Sometimes they survive a winter or two, but we think it has long-term repercussions on their ability to reproduce,” she said. “It’s a complex situation and we don’t have all the answers yet.”

While the disease is thought only to be harmful to cave-dwelling bats, with other animals and humans seemingly unaffected, as the fungus requires 35 to 55 degree temperatures to grow, humans can carry the spores. Schultes said they are asking people not to go into caves or mines, and if they do to take careful precautions, cleaning boots and clothing.

Schultes said the reason people should be concerned is because bats are beneficial.

“All the bats in Ohio and most of North America are insect-eaters and consume huge quantities of night-flying insects,” she said, including mosquitoes and crop-eating insects.

“We think there will be a change in the balance of things if we lose all our bats,” Schultes said. “If all of our hibernating bats go extinct, we might be in trouble.”

Presently, there is no known way to treat the White-nose Syndrome, but Schultes said researchers are actively trying to find a way to stop it before it gets worse.

“One of the problems is they don’t know how the fungus kills the bats,” she said. “It’s a brand new fungus and we don’t know a whole lot about it.”