# De bat (Fly in me face) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2006, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854 "2006-05-31T11:11:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/21 "2006-05-31T16:28:03Z")
[QUOTE=Crotalus] Maybe a back-hand with the tennis racquet, followed by a quick stomp. [/QUOTE] This is actually my method for dealing with most things in life. šŸ˜ƒ I thought bats were mostly just carriers, not usually infected. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/22 "2006-05-31T16:39:42Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Itā€™s either put you in a coma or have a guy with poor-fitting glasses shoot you in the street. Your choice. As mentioned, Texas, or at least parts of it, are on high alert now. Here in Houston we recently had the young teen that died. Now theyā€™re finding rabid bats seemingly everywhere and anyone coming in contact is getting treated. Last nightā€™s news mentioned a woman and a toddler starting treatments. Only 1 or 2% of the bats are rabid but apparently theyā€™re the ones displaying abberant behavior and making contact with people. Their counsel wrt any dead bat encounter is to wear gloves and pick it up with a shovel. If you actually had a live one on your faceā€¦ wellā€¦ [/QUOTE] I also heard that bats donā€™t necessarily have to display weird behavior to be carrying the disease. They kinda LIKE it. ---
**Author:** ![theunfounddoor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@theunfounddoor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theunfounddoor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/23 "2006-05-31T16:44:40Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] Wow, I thought the batā€™s radar would have kept it from flying into you. Iā€™m forever reassuring people that bats donā€™t get tangled in your hair, that thatā€™s just a myth. I stand corrected! [/QUOTE] I always thought that was a myth too. Until I watched a show honoring one of the first guys who went out and did nature documentaries for the BBC. I canā€™t remember his name right now, but he was in a huge cave with thousands of bats flying around. He just got done saying how accurate their sonar is and that they avoid collisions three times a second (or something close to that) and then a bat flew right into his head. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/24 "2006-05-31T16:52:51Z")
So I busted two myths in one episode: their sonar is apparently not enough to ensure that they wonā€™t collide with you, and if they contact your hair, they donā€™t always get entangled. Plus I disabused myself of the belief I had about my composure: I thought that in an event as unexpected, sudden and revolting as my bat encounter, I would ā€œsoil my armorā€, or lose it in some other ignominious way, but I didnā€™t. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/25 "2006-05-31T17:05:33Z")
Thanks to all who replied (especially those who combined to convince me to see my doctor). Before this one dies, did anyone recognize the source of my thread title without Googling? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/26 "2006-05-31T17:12:47Z")
[QUOTE=Crotalus] their sonar is apparently not enough to ensure that they wonā€™t collide with you, [/QUOTE] Isnā€™t the question whether or not they can avoid colliding with a tennis racket? šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/27 "2006-05-31T17:16:39Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Isnā€™t the question whether or not they can avoid colliding with a tennis racket? šŸ™‚ [/QUOTE] True enough, but since I caught this one with an awkward fish net with a five foot handle, Iā€™m pretty sure my tennis stroke will be quick enough to stun the next one. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/28 "2006-05-31T17:25:39Z")
well you did find it in the batroom. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/29 "2006-05-31T17:29:56Z")
[QUOTE=Crotalus] Thanks to all who replied (especially those who combined to convince me to see my doctor). Before this one dies, did anyone recognize the source of my thread title without Googling? [/QUOTE] If itā€™s not a \*Fantasy Island \*reference, you lost me. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/30 "2006-05-31T17:34:21Z")
Very few bats, less than 1% in the USA, carry rabies. ASSUME THIS BAT WAS RABID. Iā€™ve got a dead bat in formaldehyde on my shelf. The wound inflicted by a common staple or a slip of a common sewing needle is worse than one caused by a bat tooth. Theyā€™re tiny, and sharp. Assume any wild mammal you come in contact with is rabid. Go get the shots. If there is no news of an outbreak in your area, AND YOU ARE CERTAIN OF NO PHYSICAL CONTACT Iā€™d say catch and release is fine. Re Echolocation Bat echolocation is indeed a remarkable thing. The problem is that they act like ferrets. For those without ferret experience, think of a three-year old who has just been given a five minute shopping spree in a combined toy and candy store, and then injected with espresso. Bats can avoid you, but may be busy spazzing out and paying attention to other things. Sure Timmy can see my leg, but heā€™s busy thinking of videogames and looking at a chocolate bin, and will collide with me. Re Entrance If one bat got in, more will. In many cases, nailing a mesh covering to the entrance in the right way will allow all bats out but keep them from re-entering. Bat Conservation International can answer all your questions. [www.batcon.org](http://www.batcon.org) ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/31 "2006-05-31T17:39:08Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] If itā€™s not a \*Fantasy Island \*reference, you lost me. [/QUOTE] Not Fantasy Island, but thanks for playing. I should have done this: Itā€™s the title of an old song by Carly Simon. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/32 "2006-05-31T17:47:24Z")
Definitely follow through on this. From [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies): > [@](#): > > In many cases, victims are not even aware of having been bitten by a bat, assuming that a small puncture wound found after the fact was the bite of an insect or spider; in some cases, no wound at all can be found, leading to the hypothesis that in some cases the virus can be contracted via inhaling airborne aerosols from the vicinity of a bat or bats. That thing was near your _face_. Bleh. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/33 "2006-05-31T17:51:50Z")
ā€œNearā€? Can you say chin guano? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/34 "2006-05-31T17:52:14Z")
[QUOTE=Mama Zappa] Definitely follow through on this. From [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies): That thing was near your _face_. Bleh. [/QUOTE] I may finally have to edit an article. (I havenā€™t read it yet, as I wanted to post this before I started yelling at my monitor) There are two cases pointed to as possible aerosol transmission. Both occured in caves with about 30 million bats in close quarters. According to CDC reports, one man had a skin condition (IIRC psoriasis) on his neck and was experiencing an outbreak. The other man in question had an open sore on his face. In both cases, contact with bats was certain. In both cases, infected saliva could easily have come in contact with an open sore, or area where the top layer of skin was missing. Occamā€™s razor shreds the aerosol transmission hypothesis. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/35 "2006-05-31T17:55:16Z")
**DocCathode** , thanks for the link. I like bats just fine, outside. Heck, I even put a bat house in one of my trees. The up close and personal aspect of this encounter wasnā€™t exactly my cup of tea, though. From the site, I would guess that my visitor was Eptesicus fuscus - the big brown bat. Most bats Iā€™ve been close to (mostly in Maryland) were much smaller (smaller than a sparrow) than the one last night, who was closer in wingspan to a robin. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/36 "2006-05-31T18:01:50Z")
Remember folks, there _is_ a disease that can be transmitted just by breathing the air near bat roosts. Bat guano feeds a certain kind of mold. The spores of that mold are tiny and can be breahed in without your being aware of it. The spores florish in warm, damp conditions even in an open environment. Most people will experience no illness, or mild fever, sore throat etc. But, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, the immunocompromised etc may be at risk. Keep in mind that pregnant women are also at risk of disease from the feces and urine of cats and ferrets. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/37 "2006-05-31T18:15:12Z")
Here we go [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320262&](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320262&) [http://www2.us.elsevierhealth.com/scripts/om.dll/serve?arttype=full&article=a121521](http://www2.us.elsevierhealth.com/scripts/om.dll/serve?arttype=full&article=a121521) ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/38 "2006-05-31T18:19:48Z")
Interesting stats on rabies in Ohio: [http://www.ohiowildlifecenter.org/research/rabiesrevisit.asp](http://www.ohiowildlifecenter.org/research/rabiesrevisit.asp) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/39 "2006-05-31T18:25:00Z")
ā€œUnder exceptional circumstances, in a bat cave, bat rabies was highly suspected of being transmitted through an aerosol mode to humans, and has been proven in laboratory animal studies.ā€ The lab accident in question involved concentrated rabies virus used to make vaccine. I donā€™t see how such an event could be replicated in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854/40 "2006-05-31T18:31:37Z")
The Google ads want to sell me a tennis racquet. šŸ™‚ It looks like rabid bats are not common in my neck of the woods, but not unheard of either. When I presented the facts (brief skin contact, no blood, no apparent wound) to my doctor, she scheduled an appointment for me for tomorrow. Iā€™m not sure what sheā€™s going to do, but I guess the seriousness of the disease requires caution, as all here have advised. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-bat-fly-in-me-face/358854.md?page=3)