A fungus causing a deadly disease credited with wiping out millions of bats across North America has been detected for the first time in the Sacramento region, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The fungus, called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, infects bats with white-nose syndrome that renders damage to delicate wings and hastens bats out of winter hibernation early when there’s little food. Any “visible signs” of the disease have not been observed on the nocturnal animals in California, but a Western red bat from Sutter County tested positive May 9 for the presence of the fungus, wildlife officials said Monday in a news release.

Last year, wildlife officials found the fungus at a bat roost in Humboldt County. The fungus has grown this year to Sutter, Placer, Amador and Inyo counties, with more testing underway to determine its reach.

A devastated bat population cannot gobble insects in droves, which would wreak havoc on California’s agricultural economy. The winged creatures, which often eat thousands of bugs each night, provide about $3.7 billion worth of insect control for farmers while their excrement fertilizes soil, wildlife officials say.

“While white-nose syndrome has not yet been observed in any bat in California, the presence of the fungal pathogen suggests the disease could manifest in California’s bats within the next few years,” the news release said.

The disease most commonly spreads as the animals contact each other. But fungal spores landing on people can also result in the bats’ infections.

The fungus was first detected on the West Coast in 2016, in Washington, according to the news release, and California wildlife officials have been sampling bats for the fungus since then.

“Sustained efforts to monitor bat populations will be critical to understanding and managing this devastating disease,” wildlife officials said.

Residents should refrain from handling any wildlife, dead or alive. Reports of a bat roost, dead bats or bats acting strange can be directed to state wildlife officials.