David S Blehert
David Blehert is Chief of the National Wildlife Health Center's Laboratory Sciences Branch
David Blehert received a Ph.D. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1999, and he joined the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) as a Diagnostic and Research Microbiologist in 2003. His research focuses on investigation of the ecology and pathobiology of bat white-nose syndrome. Today, Dr. Blehert is Chief of the NWHC's Laboratory Sciences Branch, which specializes in the investigation of unusual mortality events impacting our nation's wildlife. His laboratories also conduct surveillance for animal diseases of high consequence, such as white-nose syndrome in bats and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in wild waterfowl.
Professional Experience
2014 to present, Chief, Laboratory Sciences Branch, U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin
2003-2014, Diagnostic and Research Microbiologist, U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin
1999 to 2003, Intramural Research Training Associate Fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1999
B.S. Biology, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis St. Paul, 1993
Affiliations and Memberships*
Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology. Elected in February, 2020.
Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. CIFAR Program Fungal Kingdom: Threats and Opportunities. Elected in June, 2019.
Honorary Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiological Sciences. 2003-2018.
Member, Wildlife Disease Association. 2006-present.
Member, American Society for Microbiology. 1995-present.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 74
In vitro detection and quantification of botulinum neurotoxin type E activity in avian blood
Botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E) outbreaks in the Great Lakes region cause large annual avian mortality events, with an estimated 17,000 bird deaths reported in 2007 alone. During an outbreak investigation, blood collected from bird carcasses is tested for the presence of BoNT/E using the mouse lethality assay. While sensitive, this method is labor-intensive and low throughput...
Authors
Timothy M. Piazza, David S. Blehert, F. Mark Dunning, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Fusun N. Zeytin, M. D. Samuel, Ward C. Tucker
White-nose syndrome fungus (Geomyces destructans) in bats, Europe
White-nose syndrome is an emerging disease in North America that has caused substantial declines in hibernating bats. A recently identified fungus (Geomyces destructans) causes skin lesions that are characteristic of this disease. Typical signs of this infection were not observed in bats in North America before white-nose syndrome was detected. However, unconfirmed reports from Europe...
Authors
Gudrun Wibbelt, A. Kurth, D. Hellmann, M. Weishaar, A. Barlow, M. Veith, J. Pruger, T. Gorfol, T. Grosche, F. Bontadina, U. Zophel, Hans-Peter Seidl, Paul M. Cryan, David S. Blehert
Avian botulism: a case study in translocated endangered Laysan ducks (Anas laysanensis) on Midway Atoll
Laysan Ducks are endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago and are one of the world’s most endangered waterfowl. For 150 yr, Laysan Ducks were restricted to an estimated 4 km2 of land on Laysan Island in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In 2004 and 2005, 42 Laysan Ducks were translocated to Midway Atoll, and the population increased to approximately 200 by 2007. In August 2008, mortality due...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, John L. Klavitter, Michelle H. Reynolds, David S. Blehert
Wing pathology of white-nose syndrome in bats suggests life-threatening disruption of physiology
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is causing unprecedented declines in several species of North American bats. The characteristic lesions of WNS are caused by the fungus Geomyces destructans, which erodes and replaces the living skin of bats while they hibernate. It is unknown how this infection kills the bats. We review here the unique physiological importance of wings to hibernating bats in...
Authors
Paul M. Cryan, Carol U. Meteyer, Justin G. Boyles, David S. Blehert
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements of female mallards molting in Klamath Basin
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements were studied during August-May, 2001-2002, 2002- 2003 and 2006-2007 for 181 adult female Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Birds were radiotagged just before or early in their flightless period on four wetlands that differed in size on Klamath Basin (KB) National Wildlife Refuge complex. Flightless survival varied among years but was higher on...
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, David M. Mauser, Julie L. Yee, David S. Blehert, Gregory S. Yarris
Rapid polymerase chain reaction diagnosis of white-nose syndrome in bats
A newly developed polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method to rapidly and specifically detect Geomyces destructans on the wings of infected bats from small quantities (1–2 mg) of tissue is described in the current study (methods for culturing and isolating G. destructans from bat skin are also described). The lower limits of detection for PCR were 5 fg of purified fungal DNA or 100...
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Andrea Gargas, Carol U. Meteyer, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, David E. Green, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Nancy Thomas, David S. Blehert
Bat Rabies and Other Lyssavirus Infections
Bat Rabies and Other Lyssavirus Infections offers readers an overview of the virus variants that cause bat rabies, and geographical patterns in occurrence of this disease. The section Species Susceptibility describes infection rates and trends among bats, humans, and other animals. Disease Ecology considers the biological and environmental dynamics of the disease in various species of...
Authors
Denny G. Constantine, David S. Blehert
Investigating white-nose syndrome in bats
A devastating, emergent disease afflicting hibernating bats has pread from the northeast to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2006-2007, hundreds of thousands of insect-eating bats from at least nine states have died from this new disease, named White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). The disease is named for the white fungus often seen on the...
Authors
David S. Blehert
Histopathologic criteria to confirm white-nose syndrome in bats
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a cutaneous fungal disease of hibernating bats associated with a novel Geomyces sp. fungus. Currently, confirmation of WNS requires histopathologic examination. Invasion of living tissue distinguishes this fungal infection from those caused by conventional transmissible dermatophytes. Although fungal hyphae penetrate the connective tissue of glabrous skin and...
Authors
Carol U. Meteyer, Elizabeth L. Buckles, David S. Blehert, Alan C. Hicks, David E. Green, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Nancy Thomas, Andrea Gargas, Melissa Behr
Geomyces destructans sp. nov. associated with bat white-nose syndrome
We describe and illustrate the new species Geomyces destructans. Bats infected with this fungus present with powdery conidia and hyphae on their muzzles, wing membranes, and/or pinnae, leading to description of the accompanying disease as white-nose syndrome, a cause of widespread mortality among hibernating bats in the northeastern US. Based on rRNA gene sequence (ITS and SSU)...
Authors
Andrea Gargas, M.T. Trest, M. Christensen, T.J. Volk, David S. Blehert
Bat white-nose syndrome: An emerging fungal pathogen?
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a condition associated with an unprecedented bat mortality event in the northeastern United States. Since the winter of 2006*2007, bat declines exceeding 75% have been observed at surveyed hibernacula. Affected bats often present with visually striking white fungal growth on their muzzles, ears, and/or wing membranes. Direct microscopy and culture analyses...
Authors
David S. Blehert, A.C. Hicks, M. Behr, Carol U. Meteyer, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, E.L. Buckles, J.T.H. Coleman, S.R. Darling, Andrea Gargas, R. Niver, Joseph C. Okoniewski, R.J. Rudd, W.B. Stone
Using amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis to differentiate isolates of Pasteurella multocida serotype 1
Avian cholera, an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, kills thousands of North American wild waterfowl annually. Pasteurella multocida serotype 1 isolates cultured during a laboratory challenge study of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and collected from wild birds and environmental samples during avian cholera outbreaks were characterized using amplified...
Authors
David S. Blehert, K. L. Jefferson, Dennis M. Heisey, M. D. Samuel, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Daniel J. Shadduck
Non-USGS Publications**
Rickard, A.H., R.J. Palmer, Jr., D.S. Blehert, S.R. Campagna, M.F. Semmelhack, P.G. Egland, B.L. Bassler, and P.E. Kolenbrander. 2006. Autoinducer 2: a concentration-dependent signal for mutualistic bacterial biofilm growth. Molecular Microbiology 60: 1446-1456.
Orville, A. M., L. Manning, D.S. Blehert, J.M. Studts, B.W. Matthews, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 2004. Crystallization and preliminary analysis of xenobiotic reductase A and ligand complexes from Pseudomonas putida II-B. Acta Crystallographica 60: 957-961.
Orville, A. M., L. Manning, D.S. Blehert, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 2004. Crystallization and preliminary analysis of xenobiotic reductase B from Pseudomonas fluorescens I-C. Acta Crystallographica 60: 1289-1291.
Blehert, D.S., R.J. Palmer, Jr., J.B. Xavier, J.S. Almeida, and P.E. Kolenbrander. 2003. Autoinducer-2 production by Streptococcus gordonii DL1 and the biofilm phenotype of a luxS mutant are influenced by nutritional conditions. Journal of Bacteriology 185: 4851-4860.
Kolenbrander, P.E., R.F. Lerud, D.S. Blehert, P.G. Egland, J.S. Foster, and R.J. Palmer, Jr. 2003. The role of coaggregation in oral biofilm formation. In V. O’Flaherty, A. Moran, P. Lens and P. Stoodley (eds.), Biofilms in Medicine, Industry and Environmental Biotechnology, IWA Publishing, London, UK. p. 32-46.
Kolenbrander, P.E., R.N. Andersen, D.S. Blehert, P.G. Egland, J.S. Foster, and R.J. Palmer, Jr. 2002. Communication among oral bacteria. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 66: 486-505.
Blehert, D.S., B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 1999. Cloning and sequence analysis of two Pseudomonas flavoprotein xenobiotic reductases. Journal of Bacteriology 181: 6254-6263.
Blehert, D.S., K.L. Knoke, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 1997. Regioselectivity of nitroglycerin denitration by flavoprotein nitroester reductases purified from two Pseudomonas species. Journal of Bacteriology 179: 6912-6920.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 74
In vitro detection and quantification of botulinum neurotoxin type E activity in avian blood
Botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E) outbreaks in the Great Lakes region cause large annual avian mortality events, with an estimated 17,000 bird deaths reported in 2007 alone. During an outbreak investigation, blood collected from bird carcasses is tested for the presence of BoNT/E using the mouse lethality assay. While sensitive, this method is labor-intensive and low throughput...
Authors
Timothy M. Piazza, David S. Blehert, F. Mark Dunning, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Fusun N. Zeytin, M. D. Samuel, Ward C. Tucker
White-nose syndrome fungus (Geomyces destructans) in bats, Europe
White-nose syndrome is an emerging disease in North America that has caused substantial declines in hibernating bats. A recently identified fungus (Geomyces destructans) causes skin lesions that are characteristic of this disease. Typical signs of this infection were not observed in bats in North America before white-nose syndrome was detected. However, unconfirmed reports from Europe...
Authors
Gudrun Wibbelt, A. Kurth, D. Hellmann, M. Weishaar, A. Barlow, M. Veith, J. Pruger, T. Gorfol, T. Grosche, F. Bontadina, U. Zophel, Hans-Peter Seidl, Paul M. Cryan, David S. Blehert
Avian botulism: a case study in translocated endangered Laysan ducks (Anas laysanensis) on Midway Atoll
Laysan Ducks are endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago and are one of the world’s most endangered waterfowl. For 150 yr, Laysan Ducks were restricted to an estimated 4 km2 of land on Laysan Island in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In 2004 and 2005, 42 Laysan Ducks were translocated to Midway Atoll, and the population increased to approximately 200 by 2007. In August 2008, mortality due...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, John L. Klavitter, Michelle H. Reynolds, David S. Blehert
Wing pathology of white-nose syndrome in bats suggests life-threatening disruption of physiology
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is causing unprecedented declines in several species of North American bats. The characteristic lesions of WNS are caused by the fungus Geomyces destructans, which erodes and replaces the living skin of bats while they hibernate. It is unknown how this infection kills the bats. We review here the unique physiological importance of wings to hibernating bats in...
Authors
Paul M. Cryan, Carol U. Meteyer, Justin G. Boyles, David S. Blehert
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements of female mallards molting in Klamath Basin
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements were studied during August-May, 2001-2002, 2002- 2003 and 2006-2007 for 181 adult female Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Birds were radiotagged just before or early in their flightless period on four wetlands that differed in size on Klamath Basin (KB) National Wildlife Refuge complex. Flightless survival varied among years but was higher on...
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, David M. Mauser, Julie L. Yee, David S. Blehert, Gregory S. Yarris
Rapid polymerase chain reaction diagnosis of white-nose syndrome in bats
A newly developed polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method to rapidly and specifically detect Geomyces destructans on the wings of infected bats from small quantities (1–2 mg) of tissue is described in the current study (methods for culturing and isolating G. destructans from bat skin are also described). The lower limits of detection for PCR were 5 fg of purified fungal DNA or 100...
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Andrea Gargas, Carol U. Meteyer, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, David E. Green, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Nancy Thomas, David S. Blehert
Bat Rabies and Other Lyssavirus Infections
Bat Rabies and Other Lyssavirus Infections offers readers an overview of the virus variants that cause bat rabies, and geographical patterns in occurrence of this disease. The section Species Susceptibility describes infection rates and trends among bats, humans, and other animals. Disease Ecology considers the biological and environmental dynamics of the disease in various species of...
Authors
Denny G. Constantine, David S. Blehert
Investigating white-nose syndrome in bats
A devastating, emergent disease afflicting hibernating bats has pread from the northeast to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2006-2007, hundreds of thousands of insect-eating bats from at least nine states have died from this new disease, named White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). The disease is named for the white fungus often seen on the...
Authors
David S. Blehert
Histopathologic criteria to confirm white-nose syndrome in bats
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a cutaneous fungal disease of hibernating bats associated with a novel Geomyces sp. fungus. Currently, confirmation of WNS requires histopathologic examination. Invasion of living tissue distinguishes this fungal infection from those caused by conventional transmissible dermatophytes. Although fungal hyphae penetrate the connective tissue of glabrous skin and...
Authors
Carol U. Meteyer, Elizabeth L. Buckles, David S. Blehert, Alan C. Hicks, David E. Green, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Nancy Thomas, Andrea Gargas, Melissa Behr
Geomyces destructans sp. nov. associated with bat white-nose syndrome
We describe and illustrate the new species Geomyces destructans. Bats infected with this fungus present with powdery conidia and hyphae on their muzzles, wing membranes, and/or pinnae, leading to description of the accompanying disease as white-nose syndrome, a cause of widespread mortality among hibernating bats in the northeastern US. Based on rRNA gene sequence (ITS and SSU)...
Authors
Andrea Gargas, M.T. Trest, M. Christensen, T.J. Volk, David S. Blehert
Bat white-nose syndrome: An emerging fungal pathogen?
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a condition associated with an unprecedented bat mortality event in the northeastern United States. Since the winter of 2006*2007, bat declines exceeding 75% have been observed at surveyed hibernacula. Affected bats often present with visually striking white fungal growth on their muzzles, ears, and/or wing membranes. Direct microscopy and culture analyses...
Authors
David S. Blehert, A.C. Hicks, M. Behr, Carol U. Meteyer, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, E.L. Buckles, J.T.H. Coleman, S.R. Darling, Andrea Gargas, R. Niver, Joseph C. Okoniewski, R.J. Rudd, W.B. Stone
Using amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis to differentiate isolates of Pasteurella multocida serotype 1
Avian cholera, an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, kills thousands of North American wild waterfowl annually. Pasteurella multocida serotype 1 isolates cultured during a laboratory challenge study of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and collected from wild birds and environmental samples during avian cholera outbreaks were characterized using amplified...
Authors
David S. Blehert, K. L. Jefferson, Dennis M. Heisey, M. D. Samuel, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Daniel J. Shadduck
Non-USGS Publications**
Rickard, A.H., R.J. Palmer, Jr., D.S. Blehert, S.R. Campagna, M.F. Semmelhack, P.G. Egland, B.L. Bassler, and P.E. Kolenbrander. 2006. Autoinducer 2: a concentration-dependent signal for mutualistic bacterial biofilm growth. Molecular Microbiology 60: 1446-1456.
Orville, A. M., L. Manning, D.S. Blehert, J.M. Studts, B.W. Matthews, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 2004. Crystallization and preliminary analysis of xenobiotic reductase A and ligand complexes from Pseudomonas putida II-B. Acta Crystallographica 60: 957-961.
Orville, A. M., L. Manning, D.S. Blehert, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 2004. Crystallization and preliminary analysis of xenobiotic reductase B from Pseudomonas fluorescens I-C. Acta Crystallographica 60: 1289-1291.
Blehert, D.S., R.J. Palmer, Jr., J.B. Xavier, J.S. Almeida, and P.E. Kolenbrander. 2003. Autoinducer-2 production by Streptococcus gordonii DL1 and the biofilm phenotype of a luxS mutant are influenced by nutritional conditions. Journal of Bacteriology 185: 4851-4860.
Kolenbrander, P.E., R.F. Lerud, D.S. Blehert, P.G. Egland, J.S. Foster, and R.J. Palmer, Jr. 2003. The role of coaggregation in oral biofilm formation. In V. O’Flaherty, A. Moran, P. Lens and P. Stoodley (eds.), Biofilms in Medicine, Industry and Environmental Biotechnology, IWA Publishing, London, UK. p. 32-46.
Kolenbrander, P.E., R.N. Andersen, D.S. Blehert, P.G. Egland, J.S. Foster, and R.J. Palmer, Jr. 2002. Communication among oral bacteria. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 66: 486-505.
Blehert, D.S., B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 1999. Cloning and sequence analysis of two Pseudomonas flavoprotein xenobiotic reductases. Journal of Bacteriology 181: 6254-6263.
Blehert, D.S., K.L. Knoke, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 1997. Regioselectivity of nitroglycerin denitration by flavoprotein nitroester reductases purified from two Pseudomonas species. Journal of Bacteriology 179: 6912-6920.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government