SALEM, Ore.— White-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats has been detected for the first time in Oregon in Columbia and Benton counties. White-nose syndrome is caused by an infection with the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans that disrupts hibernation, causing early winter emergence, dehydration and starvation.
This finding follows the 2025 detection of Pseudogymnoascus destructans in bat guano collected at a roost in Clatsop County. Bats in Oregon have now tested positive for the fungus and have shown signs of the disease.
In March 2026, laboratory tests by the National Wildlife Health Center diagnosed white-nose syndrome disease in six Yuma myotis from Columbia County and one little brown myotis from Benton County. Both species are small insectivorous bats that are found throughout Oregon. The bats were found deceased in residential areas in late winter and reported to ODFW…