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View citations of publications by National Wildlife Health Center scientists since our founding in 1975.  Access to full-text is provided where possible.

Wildlife Health Bulletins

Sanderling on sand.

Wildlife Health Bulletins are distributed to natural resource/conservation agencies to provide and promote information exchange about significant wildlife health threats.

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Wildlife Disease Case Definitions

Lesser black-backed gull

Case definitions provide a standardized, science-based set of criteria for diagnosing disease and pathogens. This manual provides case definitions for selected diseases of importance to wildlife in Canada and the United States.

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Additional Resources

Filter Total Items: 1613

Ophidiomycosis (snake fungal disease) case definition for wildlife

Diagnostic laboratories receive carcasses and samples for diagnostic evaluation and pathogen/toxin detection. Case definitions bring clarity and consistency to the evaluation process. Their use within and between organizations allows more uniform reporting of diseases and etiologic agents.The intent of a case definition is to provide scientifically based criteria for determining (a) if an individu
Authors
Julia S. Lankton, Brian Stevens, Lenny Shirose, Christina Davy
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Avian botulism case definition for wildlife

Diagnostic laboratories receive carcasses and samples for diagnostic evaluation and pathogen/toxin detection. Case definitions bring clarity and consistency to the evaluation process. Their use within and between organizations allows more uniform reporting of diseases and etiologic agents.The intent of a case definition is to provide scientifically based criteria for determining (a) if an individu
Authors
Julia S. Lankton, Brian Stevens
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

[Disease/condition] case definition [template] for wildlife

Diagnostic laboratories receive carcasses and samples for diagnostic evaluation and pathogen/toxin detection. Case definitions bring clarity and consistency to the evaluation process. Their use within and between organizations allows more uniform reporting of diseases and etiologic agents. The intent of a case definition is to provide scientifically based criteria for determining (a) if an individ
Authors
Kimberli J.G. Miller, E. Jane Parmley, Anne Ballmann, Jennifer Buckner, Megan Jones, Julia S. Lankton, Marnie Zimmer, Emily Lankau
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Case definitions for wildlife diseases

Welcome to the first manual of “Case Definitions for Wildlife Diseases,” a “living” electronic publication. The plan is to add and update this manual’s case definitions periodically as warranted; thus, this manual will never be completed, and readers should download the latest versions of specific chapters (that is, definitions) when available. Constructive suggestions from readers are welcome and
Authors
Kimberli J.G. Miller, E. Jane Parmley, Anne Ballmann, Jennifer Buckner, Megan Jones, Julia S. Lankton, Marnie Zimmer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Serologic Survey of Selected Arthropod Borne Pathogens in Free-ranging Snowshoe Hares (Lepus americanus) Captured in Northern Michigan, USA

Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan occupy the southern range periphery and are vulnerable to climate change. In the eastern UP hares are isolated by the Great Lakes potentially exacerbating exposure to climate change induced habitat alterations. Climate change is also measurably affecting distribution and prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in North America a
Authors
Erik K. Hofmeister, Melissa Lund, Daniel A. Grear, Eric Clark
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Disease-smart climate adaptation for wildlife management and conservation

Climate change is a well-documented driver and threat multiplier of infectious disease in wildlife populations. However, wildlife disease management and climate-change adaptation have largely operated in isolation. To improve conservation outcomes, we consider the role of climate adaptation in initiating or exacerbating the transmission and spread of wildlife disease and the deleterious effects th
Authors
Lindsey Thurman, Katrina E. Alger, Olivia E. LeDee, Laura Thompson, Erik K. Hofmeister, Michael J Hudson, Alynn Martin, Tracy Melvin, Sarah H Olson, Mathieu Pruvot, Jason R. Rohr, Jennifer Szymanksi, Oscar Aleuy, Benjamin Zuckerberg
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, National Wildlife Health Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Chronic wasting disease: State of the science

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting cervid species, both free-ranging and captive populations. As the geographic range continues to expand and disease prevalence continues to increase, CWD will have an impact on cervid populations, local economies, and ecosystem health. Mitigation of this “wicked” disease will require input from many different stakeholders including hunters,
Authors
Jason Bartz, Rebeca Benavente, Byron Caughey, Sonja Christensen, Allen Jeffrey Herbst, Ed Hoover, Candace K Mathiason, Debbie I. McKenzie, Rodrigo Morales, Marc D. Schwabenlander, Daniel P. Walsh, NC1209: North American interdisciplinary chronic wasting disease research consortium members
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Chytrid infections exhibit historical spread and contemporary seasonality in a declining stream-breeding frog

Species with extensive geographical ranges pose special challenges to assessing drivers of wildlife disease, necessitating collaborative and large-scale analyses. The imperilled foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) inhabits a wide geographical range and variable conditions in rivers of California and Oregon (USA), and is considered threatened by the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd
Authors
A.M. Belasen, R.A. Peek, A.J. Adams, I.D. Russell, M.E. De León, Michael J. Adams, J. Bettaso, K.G.H. Breedveld, A. Catenazzi, C.P. Dillingham, Daniel A. Grear, Brian J. Halstead, P.G. Johnson, Patrick M. Kleeman, M.S. Koo, C.W. Koppl, J.D. Lauder, G. Padgett-Flohr, J. Piovia-Scott, K.L. Pope, V. Vredenburg, M. Westphal, K. Wiseman, S.J. Kupferberg
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Modeling the response of an endangered rabbit population to RHDV2 and vaccination

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2), recently detected in the western United States, has the potential to cause mass mortality events in wild rabbit and hare populations. Currently, few management strategies exist other than vaccination. We developed a spatially explicit model of RHDV2 for a population of riparian brush rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius), a subspecies of brush rabbit cl
Authors
Robin Russell, Robert J. Dusek, Stephanie Prevost, Deana L. Clifford, Megan Moriarty, Fumika Takahashi
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.4.4b infections in wild terrestrial mammals, United States, 2022

We describe the pathology of natural infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus of Eurasian lineage Goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b in 67 wild terrestrial mammals throughout the United States during April 1‒July 21, 2022. Affected mammals include 50 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), 6 striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), 4 raccoons (Procyon lotor), 2 bobcats (Lynx rufus), 2 Virginia opo
Authors
E. J. Elsmo, A. Wünschmann, Kimberlee B. Beckmen, L. B. Broughton-Neiswanger, E. L. Buckles, J. Hugh Ellis, S. D. Fitzgerald, Robert Gerlach, S. Hawkins, Hon S. Ip, Julia S. Lankton, E. M. Lemley, J. B. Lenoch, M. L. Killian, K. Lantz, L. Long, R. Maes, M. Mainenti, J. Melotti, M. E. Moriarty, S. Nakagun, R. M. Ruden, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, D.A. Thompson, M. K. Torchetti, A. J. Van Wettere, A. G. Wise, A. L. Lim
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Prairie dog responses to vector control and vaccination during an initial Yersinia pestis invasion

We evaluated the invasion of plague bacteria Yersinia pestis into a population of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus; BTPDs) in South Dakota. We aimed to ascertain if Y. pestis invaded slowly or rapidly, and to determine if vector (flea) control or vaccination of BTPDs assisted in increasing survival rates. We sampled BTPDs in 2007 (before Y. pestis documentation), 2008 (year of confi
Authors
David A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Shantini Ramakrishnan, Amanda R. Goldberg, Samantha L. Eads, Tonie E. Rocke
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

Paranannizziopsis spp. infections in wild snakes and a qPCR assay for detection of the fungus

The emergence of ophidiomycosis (or snake fungal disease) in snakes has prompted increased awareness of the potential effects of fungal infections on wild reptile populations. Yet, aside from Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, little is known about other mycoses affecting wild reptiles. The closely related genus Paranannizziopsis has been associated with dermatomycosis in snakes and tuataras in captive col
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Megan Winzeler, Julia S. Lankton, Stephen Raverty, Heindrich N Snyman, Helen M. Schwantje, Caeley Thacker, Susan Knowles, Hugh Y Cai, Daniel A. Grear
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center