"White nose syndrome, a devastating disease that has killed more than one million bats in the Northeast, has been found in Maine, the last New England state to discover it, wildlife officials said on Tuesday.
Diminishing populations of bats, an important predator of insects, could have harmful consequences for humans, experts say.
Bats at two sites in Maine's Oxford County that displayed signs of a fungal pathogen linked with white nose syndrome tested positive for the disease, said scientists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Until this year, Maine appeared insulated from white nose, although nearby states and Canada were not."
Zach Howard reports for Reuters May 25, 2011.
Source: Reuters, 05/25/2011
