Researchers seek to combat bat disease

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Researchers are studying a new way to combat a disease that has killed millions of bats.

The Columbia Missourian reported it all started with Georgia State postdoctoral researcher Chris Cornelison's food preservation research. He found a type of bacteria that could inhibit fungal growth and delay fruit ripening.

Cornelison then began testing the bacteria against the white-nose fungus, and the results kept coming back positive.

The research ultimately caught the eye of the U.S. Forest Service, which hired Cornelison and brought his research to Columbia-based wildlife biologist Sybill Amelon.

Amelon's research team has done exhaustive trials. In the most promising lab tests, survival rates increased when bats were introduced to the bacteria. This winter, Amelon plans to introduce the bacteria to a cave for the first time.

------

Information from: Columbia Missourian, http://www.columbiamissourian.com