Publications
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
Wildlife Health Bulletins
Wildlife Health Bulletins are distributed to natural resource/conservation agencies to provide and promote information exchange about significant wildlife health threats.
Wildlife Disease Case Definitions
Wildlife Disease Case Definitions
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.
Filter Total Items: 1634
Diagnostic success—A quick guide to quality carcass submissions for diagnostic services Diagnostic success—A quick guide to quality carcass submissions for diagnostic services
The U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center provides diagnostic services to determine causes of wildlife morbidity and mortality events to State, Federal, and Tribal partners. To accomplish this, we rely on the timely collection and evaluation of submitted carcasses and the epidemiologic information relayed from personnel in the field. Our current submission criteria can...
Authors
Barbara L. Bodenstein, Shelby Jo Weidenkopf
Safety and immunogenicity of poultry vaccine for protecting critically endangered avian species against highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, United States Safety and immunogenicity of poultry vaccine for protecting critically endangered avian species against highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, United States
In 2023, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza occurred among critically endangered California condors (Gymnogyps californianus), and >21 died. We evaluated safety, immunogenicity, vaccination strategies, and correlates of antibody response of an influenza vaccine for poultry in black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and then California condors. We noted differences in antibody...
Authors
Todd E. Katzner, Ashleigh V. Blackford, Mary Donahue, Samantha E.J. Gibbs, Julianna B. Lenoch, Michael K. Martin, Tonie E. Rocke, J. Jeffrey Root, Darren Styles, Sunny Cooper, Kristin Dean, Zachary Dvornicky-Raymond, Dominique Keller, Carlos Sanchez, Brett Dunlap, Thomas Grier, Michael P. Jones, Gregory Nitzel, Erin Patrick, Maureen Purcell, Aaron J. Specht, David L. Suarez
Lead exposure in waterfowl before contoxic shot requirements: A nationwide study, 1983−1986 Lead exposure in waterfowl before contoxic shot requirements: A nationwide study, 1983−1986
Before implementing nontoxic shot requirements for hunting waterfowl and American coots Fulica americana in the United States in 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitored lead poisoning in waterfowl on federal and state wildlife hunting areas during 1983-1986. Federal and state collaborators collected gizzards and livers from 9,029 hunter-killed waterfowl (10 species of dabbling...
Authors
J. Christian Franson, Christine M. Bunck
A partnership between the USGS and the Klamath Tribes to apply structured decision making for chronic wasting disease management A partnership between the USGS and the Klamath Tribes to apply structured decision making for chronic wasting disease management
Project Overview: The Klamath Tribes (TKT) are the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin Paiute peoples, and are the first peoples of the land, having lived in ancestral lands of Oregon and California since time immemorial. Members of TKT have rights to hunt, fish, trap, and gather, including the harvest of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) within the 1.19...
Authors
Margaret C. McEachran, Katie M. Guntly-Yancey, Richard E.W. Berl, Donald Gentry, Michael C. Runge, Carl White, Jonathan D. Cook
Mortality events in Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis) due to white-nose syndrome in Washington, USA Mortality events in Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis) due to white-nose syndrome in Washington, USA
The impacts of white-nose syndrome (WNS) on many bat species in eastern North America have been well documented because of the length of time that the causative agent, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), has been present and the ability to monitor bat hibernacula in that region. However, the disease outcomes for bat species in western North America are less known because of the more...
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, A. Tobin, Alexandria Annelise Argue, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Kyle George, Katherine H. Haman, Anne Ballmann
Pan-amphibia distribution of the fungal parasite Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis varies with species and temperature Pan-amphibia distribution of the fungal parasite Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis varies with species and temperature
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a globally distributed fungal pathogen of amphibians that has contributed to one of the largest disease-related biodiversity losses in wildlife. Bd is regularly viewed through the lens of a global wildlife epizootic because the spread of highly virulent genetic lineages has resulted in well-documented declines and extinctions of multiple amphibian...
Authors
Daniel A. Grear, Michael J. Adams, Adam R. Backlin, William Barichivich, Adrianne Brand, Gary M. Bucciarelli, Daniel L. Calhoun, Tara Chestnut, Jon D Davenport, Andrew E Dietrich, Graziella V. DiRenzo, Robert N. Fisher, Brad Glorioso, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Brian J. Halstead, Marc P Hayes, Blake R. Hossack, Morgan Kain, Patrick M. Kleeman, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Brome McCreary, David A.W. Miller, Brittany A. Mosher, Erin L. Muths, Christopher Pearl, Charles H. Robinson, Mark Roth, Jennifer Rowe, Walter Sadinski, Brent H. Sigafus, Iga Stasiak, Samuel Sweet, Hardin Waddle, Susan Walls, Gregory J Watkins-Colwell, Lori A Williams, Megan Winzeler
Climate-related drivers of migratory bird health in the south-central USA Climate-related drivers of migratory bird health in the south-central USA
Migratory birds are species of concern that play important ecological roles while also supporting recreational opportunities for the hunting and birdwatching public. Direct and indirect effects of climate variability, extremes, and change on migratory bird health manifest at the individual, population, species, and community levels. This review focuses on the effects of climate on...
Authors
Renee A. McPherson, Katrina E. Alger, Erik K. Hofmeister
Fungal impacts on Earth’s ecosystems Fungal impacts on Earth’s ecosystems
Over the past billion years, the fungal kingdom has diversified to more than two million species, with over 95% still undescribed. Beyond the well-known macroscopic mushrooms and microscopic yeast, fungi are heterotrophs that feed on almost any organic carbon, recycling nutrients through the decay of dead plants and animals and sequestering carbon into Earth’s ecosystems. Human-directed...
Authors
Nicola T. Case, Sarah J. Gurr, Matthew C. Fisher, David S. Blehert, Charles Boone, Arturo Casadevall, Anuradha Chowdhary, Christina A. Cuomo, Cameron R. Currie, David W. Denning, Iuliana V. Ene, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin, Aleeza C. Gerstein, Neil A. R. Gow, Asiya Gusa, Iliyan D. Iliev, Timothy Y. James, Hailing Jin, Regine Kahmann, Bruce S. Klein, James W. Kronstad, Kyla S. Ost, Kabir G. Peay, Rebecca S. Shapiro, Donald C. Sheppard, Neta Shlezinger, Jason E. Stajich, Eva H. Stukenbrock, John W. Taylor, Gerard D. Wright, Leah E. Cowen, Joseph Heitman, Julia A. Segre
Proceedings of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Wildlife Health Workshop—Collaborating against shared threats Proceedings of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Wildlife Health Workshop—Collaborating against shared threats
Emerging diseases of wildlife origin are increasingly transboundary (they spread rapidly across geographic regions and across continents). In recent years, examples include the rapid spread of African swine fever across Europe and Asia with negative effects on food security, and the near global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza which has devastated wildlife populations, caused...
An enigmatic wild passerine mortality event in the eastern United States An enigmatic wild passerine mortality event in the eastern United States
The ability to rapidly respond to wildlife health events is essential. However, such events are often unpredictable, especially with anthropogenic disturbances and climate-related environmental changes driving unforeseen threats. Many events also are short-lived and go undocumented, making it difficult to draw on lessons learned from past investigations. We report on the response to a...
Authors
Sabrina S. Greening, Julie C. Ellis, Nicole L. Lewis, David B. Needle, Cristina M. Tato, Susan Knowles, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Jaimie L. Miller, Daniel A. Grear, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert, Caitlin Burrell, Lisa A. Murphy, Erica A. Miller, C. Brandon Ogbunugafor, Andrea J. Ayala, W. Kelley Thomas, Megan S. Kirchgessner, Christine Casey, Ethan P. Barton, Michael J. Yabsley, Eman Anis, Roderick B. Gagne, Patrice Klein, Cindy P. Driscoll, Chelsea Sykes, Robert H. Poppenga, Nicole M. Nemeth
Holding time or fixative formulation has no obvious effect on histology of Porites evermanni and Montipora capitata Holding time or fixative formulation has no obvious effect on histology of Porites evermanni and Montipora capitata
Collection of coral for histologic examination requires holding of samples in seawater for a time before they are fixed for histologic processing. This could adversely affect the interpretation of morphologic changes during histologic examinations. We evaluated the microscopic morphology of Porites evermanni and Montipora capitata held (0–120 minutes) in seawater prior to fixation in Z...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Chutimon Singakharn, Amy Webb, Norton Chan, Michelle Dennis
Partly cloudy with a chance of mosquitoes: Developing a flexible approach to forecasting mosquito populations Partly cloudy with a chance of mosquitoes: Developing a flexible approach to forecasting mosquito populations
Climate-induced shifts in mosquito phenology and population structure have important implications for the health of humans and wildlife. The timing and intensity of mosquito interactions with infected and susceptible hosts are a primary determinant of vector-borne disease dynamics. Like most ectotherms, rates of mosquito development and corresponding phenological patterns are expected to...
Authors
Travis Mcdevitt-Galles, Arthur DeGaetano, Sarah Elmendorf, John R. Foster, Howard S. Ginsberg, Mevin B. Hooten, Shannon LaDeau, Katherine Maria McClure, Sara Paull, Erin E. Posthumus, Ilia Rochlin, Daniel A. Grear