Recommended Procedures to Prevent the Spread of White-nose Syndrome (WNS)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
June 2009
You should not handle bats. If you come across live or dead bats with white-nose syndrome,
click on the links below to contact your state wildlife agency or your nearest U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Ecological Services Field Office, or email WhiteNoseBats@fws.gov (WhiteNoseBats null@null fws NULL.gov).
State Office Listing -http://www.fws.gov/offices/statelinks.html
USFSW Office Listing -http://www.fws.gov/offices/
We ask that you take the following precautions to prevent the possible spread of WNS (“cave”
includes all caves, fissures, mines, portals, etc.):
•
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends that all cavers observe all cave closures
and advisories in all states, especially in WNS affected states1 and unaffected adjacent
states2. Some states have instituted closures and issued advisories beyond normal
permanent and seasonal closures. Other states have instituted, or are considering
instituting, closures of caves with bats and/or advisories to stay out of caves with bats.
Please visit http://www.fws.gov/northeast/wnscavers.html (http://www NULL.fws NULL.gov/northeast/wnscavers NULL.html) for a list of current cave
closures. If closure information from a state in which you plan to go caving is not listed,
contact that state’s wildlife agency to obtain the latest information on cave access. Before
caving in another country, check with the country’s wildlife agency for information on
cave access.
•
Should you enter a cave, whether inhabited by bats or not, upon exiting a cave in the
affected zone of New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and adjacent states (Rhode Island,
Maine, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky), follow the
containment and decontamination procedures below.
•
Decontaminate all clothing, footwear, and gear prior to departing for a caving
outing if you did not decontaminate these items after last exiting a cave. To avoid
contaminating a cave in a currently unaffected state, we ask that you not use gear that
was used in a WNS affected state1 if that gear cannot be thoroughly decontaminated or
disposed of (e.g., if harnesses, ropes, or webbing cannot be decontaminated, we advise
that you not enter caves or parts of caves requiring use of this gear).
•
Because clothing, footwear, and gear used in a cave in a WNS affected state1 within the
past 3 years could pose a risk of spreading WNS, the Service advises that these items not
be used in caves anywhere.
•
We advise that you decontaminate previously used gear immediately (see
decontamination procedures below), store them away, and thoroughly wash and
decontaminate any surfaces with which these items may have come into contact (e.g., car
trunk, duffle bag, etc.). Currently, 10% bleach solution, Lysol® All-purpose Professional
Cleaner, and the antibacterial form of Formula 409® have been demonstrated to be
effective at killing Geomyces
sp., the fungus associated with WNS, on nonporous
surfaces.
1 WNS Affected States: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
West Virginia, and Virginia
2Adjacent States: Maine, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina
Note: The listed WNS affected and adjacent states are current as of 6-9-09, please visit
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html (http://www NULL.fws NULL.gov/northeast/white_nose NULL.html) for the most updated information.
White-Nose Syndrome Containment and Decontamination Procedures
The Service asks that cavers please follow these procedures for containment and
decontamination in the circumstances identified above. The main goal of this discussion is to put
in place reasonable practices that reduce the transfer of infectious agents, which potentially affect
bats, from one cave to another cave. Prior to each caving outing, please check
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/wnscavers.html (http://www NULL.fws NULL.gov/northeast/wnscavers NULL.html) for updates to these procedures.
Any gear, including outer clothing, should not be used in multiple caves in the same day unless
the cleaning and disinfection recommended below can be performed. Companion animals
should be kept out of caves. A cave should only be entered with clothing, boots, and equipment
that have been fully cleaned with the protocol below and rinsed prior to entry to remove
disinfectant residue. Upon exiting a cave, scrape or brush off any dirt and mud from your
clothes, boots, and gear and then place them in a sealed plastic bag or plastic container with lid to
be cleaned and disinfected off site. Outer clothing should be removed prior to entering a vehicle
after/between a site visit. A clean change of clothing is recommended. Surface cleaning of
exposed skin (arms, face, neck, hands, etc.) with antibacterial hand sanitizer (i.e. Purell®) should
occur prior to entering the vehicle’s cab.
The first step of decontamination is to remove all soil and organic material from
equipment, clothing, and boots using repeated rinses with water. This is especially
important as organic material (i.e. clay soils) can prevent the cleaning and disinfecting agents
from penetrating equipment, clothing, and boots, etc.
Submersible Gear (i.e. clothing and soft-sided equipment):
•
For clothing – Wash all clothing and any appropriate equipment in washing machine
using the hottest cycle possible for material and conventional detergents. Laboratory
testing has found Woolite® fabric wash to be the best surfactant for clothing. Rinse
thoroughly, and then follow by soaking with sodium hypochlorite bleach (i.e. household
bleach) solution diluted to 1 part bleach to 9 parts water in a tub or plastic container.
Soak for 10 minutes, then rinse and air dry.
•
For other submersible gear (i.e. bags, gloves, etc.) – Disinfect any equipment that can be
submersed in a solution with an appropriate and compatible disinfectant such as sodium
hypochlorite bleach (i.e. household bleach) solution diluted to 1 part bleach to 9 parts
water in a tub or plastic container or =
0.3% concentration of quaternary ammonium
compounds (i.e. Sparquat 256, Lysol® All-purpose Professional Cleaner or the
antibacterial form of Formula 409®). Keep submerged for 10 minutes, then rinse and air
dry.
Non-submersible Gear (i.e. hard-sided equipment):
•
For non-submersible gear (i.e. hard hats, flashlights, etc.) – Disinfect any equipment that
cannot be submersed by applying an appropriate and compatible disinfectant to the
outside surface by using =
0.3% concentration of quaternary ammonium compounds such
as Lysol® All-purpose Professional Cleaner, Lysol® disinfecting wipes or the
antibacterial form of Formula 409®; or use sodium hypochlorite bleach (i.e. household
bleach) solution diluted to 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Keep on surface for 10 minutes,
then rinse and air dry.
•
For boots – Boots need to be fully scrubbed and rinsed so that all soil and organic
material is removed. The entire rubber and leather boots, including soles and leather
uppers, can then be disinfected with an appropriate disinfectant such as =
0.3%
concentration of quaternary ammonium compounds (i.e. Sparquat 256, Lysol®
All-purpose Professional Cleaner or the antibacterial form of Formula 409®) and sodium
hypochlorite bleach (i.e. household bleach) solution diluted to 1 part bleach to 9 parts
water. Keep on surface for 10 minutes, then rinse and air dry.
It should be noted that product guidelines should be consulted for compatibility before using any
disinfectant on specific equipment. Also, detergents should not be mixed directly with bleach
as this will inactivate the bleach and in some cases produce a toxic chlorine gas.
Ropes and harnesses:
This equipment should be dedicated to one cave or not used at all. Decontamination of vertical
equipment is recommended. However, the performance integrity may be compromised by using
these disinfecting agents mentioned above repeatedly. Laboratory testing is ongoing.
Cameras and other electronic equipment:
If possible, do not bring electronic equipment to a cave. If practical, cameras and other similar
equipment that must be brought to a cave may be wrapped in plastic wrap where only the lens is
left unwrapped to allow for photos to be taken. The plastic wrap can then be decontaminated by
using Lysol® disinfecting wipes and discarded after use. If using plastic wrap is not practical,
alcohol wipes or Lysol® disinfecting wipes can be applied directly on surfaces.
Vehicles:
In addition to caving gear, vehicles used to transport equipment may harbor spores. It is
important to keep vehicles as clean as possible by storing gear in clean containers, and to
decontaminate those containers along with your gear.
Also note: Puregreen 24 disinfectant (compound) DOES NOT KILL the fungus.
Disclaimer: Use of trade names does not in any way signify endorsement of a particular
product.
Useful Websites and References:
http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/BRM/resources/Disinfectants/CharacteristicsSelectedDisinfectants (http://www NULL.cfsph NULL.iastate NULL.edu/BRM/resources/Disinfectants/CharacteristicsSelectedDisinfectants).
pdf
http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/BRM/resources/disinfectants/Disinfection101Feb2005.pdf (http://www NULL.cfsph NULL.iastate NULL.edu/BRM/resources/disinfectants/Disinfection101Feb2005 NULL.pdf)
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html (http://www NULL.fws NULL.gov/northeast/white_nose NULL.html)
http://protectyourwaters.org/prevention/prevention_generic.php (http://protectyourwaters NULL.org/prevention/prevention_generic NULL.php)
http://www.westdenvertu.org/NZMS/waderbootinfo.htm (http://www NULL.westdenvertu NULL.org/NZMS/waderbootinfo NULL.htm)
(see product compatibility with 10% bleach disinfectant)
Merchant, D.F. 2003. Life on a line. Published online at draftlight.net/lifeonaline
($14.95 PDF file; see Maintenance, inspection and disposal of equipment)
What is known about Geomyces
sp. viability:
•
The fungus survives exposure to mammalian body temperature (38°C/100°F) for at least
3 days but does not remain viable after 8 days (W. Stone, NYSDEC, pers. communication
4/14/09).
•
The fungus survives exposure to temperature (30°C/86°F) for at least 15 days (W. Stone,
NYSDEC, pers. communication 4/14/09).
•
Short-term incubation of fungus at higher temperatures reduces the number of conidia
present and alters the morphology of the hyphae which may not inhibit growth once returned
to colder temperatures (W. Stone, NYSDEC and D. Blehert, USGS NWHC, pers.
communication 4/14/09).
•
Clothes dryer heat treatment (49°C/ 120°F) alone increases fungal spore germination and
does not kill the fungus (H. Barton, NKU, pers. communication 4/22/09).
What kills the Geomyces
sp. fungus (spores):
Cautions*
Disinfectant
5.25% Chlorine bleach
10% bath solution
(1 part bleach: 9
parts water) 10 min Over the counter
Inactivated by
organic material,
detergents;
corrosive to
metals; produces
toxic gas if
combined with
ammonia; skin
irritant
Lysol® Professional
Antibacterial All Purpose
Cleaner
1:128 bath
solution (1 oz per
1 gal water)_ 10 min Janitorial supply
Corrosive; skin &
eye irritant
1:64 bath solution
(2 oz per 1 gal
water) 5 min
Sparquat 256
½ oz per 1 gal
water 10 min www.chemsearch.com (http://www NULL.chemsearch NULL.com)
May require
license to obtain;
requires special
disposal methods
PromicidalTM
1:128 bath
solution (1 oz per
1 gal water) 10 min www.chemsearch.com (http://www NULL.chemsearch NULL.com)
May require
license to obtain;
requires special
disposal methods
GrenadierTM
1:64 bath solution
(2 oz per 1 gal
water) 10 min www.chemsearch.com (http://www NULL.chemsearch NULL.com)
May require
license to obtain;
requires
hazardous waste
disposal methods
1:32 bath solution
(4 oz per 1 gal
water) 5 min
Formula 409®
At least 0.3%
concentration 10 min Over the counter
Woolite®
Refer to product
label Over the counter
Dawn® antibacterial hand
soap
Refer to product
label Over the counter
Purell®
Refer to product
label Over the counter
Lysol disinfecting wipes®
Refer to product
label Over the counter
70%-95% ethanol Undiluted bath 2 min Lab supply distributor
Flammable, skin
irritant
Temperature
Dry heat 110°F/ 43°C 12 hr Oven, incubators
165°F/ 74°C 15 min
175°F/ 79°C 5 min
180°F/ 82°C 5 min
Sterilization
Steam autoclave 121°C; 15 psi 15 min
Laboratory or hospital
settings
Gas sterilization Ethylene oxide 16-18 hr
Only available at
hospitals
Flame sterilization
Alcohol & open
flame 15-20 sec
Fire hazard; burn
injuries