5.13 Disease and Pathogens
colonially roosting bat species. Current estimates of bat population declines in the north- eastern United States since the emergence of WNS are approximately 80%. It is suspected that human use of caves is spreading the disease so some jurisdictions have closed or lim- ited entry to caves. Despite these precautions, the disease continues to spread. Te ecolog- ical consequences of these declines is likely to impact agricultural operations because bats are primary consumers of insects, and a recent economic analysis indicated that insect suppression services (ecosystem services) provided by bats to US agriculture are valued at between 4 and 50 billion dollars per year (USGS NWHC 2013) . Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a disease of the nervous system in deer and elk (family Cervidae) that is characterized by spongy degeneration of brain tissue resulting in emaci- ation, abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions, and ultimately death. Tere currently is no treatment for the disease and it is typically fatal for infected animals. It is not known to infect livestock or humans at the present (USGS NWHC 2013) . Te US Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization indicates there is no evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans or linked to any neurological diseases of humans (NCWRC 2014) . According to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, CWD has been confrmed in at least 19 states and in Canada, but is not yet known in North Carolina. Te NCWRC has had a preventative disease management strategy since 2002, when rules were adopted to prevent the introduction of the disease into the state and to minimize the spread of disease should it be found in the state. Te strategy includes implementing administrative rules (15A NCAC 10B) on holding deer and elk in captivity and monitoring activities that collect samples from harvest and road-kill deer to fnd evidence of the disease. In 2014, the NCWRC developed a CWD response plan (currently in draft form) that outlines management actions designed to prevent the introduction or spread of CWD in the state and increase the likelihood of detecting the disease should it occur. Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is a virus that causes fuid in the lungs of White-tailed Deer populations. Dead deer are often found by hunters near sources of water, such as lakes, swamps, and wetlands. Tese wet areas are breeding areas for the gnats and other small biting insects that are carriers for the virus. Canine Distemper is a disease that occurs in foxes, coyotes, skunks, and raccoons during the spring and fall. Infection typically does not create signifcant impacts to populations. However, local extinctions can occur when the disease occurs in isolated or remote popu- lations and there is a lack of natural gene fow from other areas. Tis disease also has a high potential for exposure and spillover to domestic animals, especially unvaccinated dogs that come into contact with infected wildlife. It has been reported that distemper and rabies infections in wildlife can be hard to visually distinguish as early symptoms appear to be
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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