Jeffrey M Lorch
Jeff Lorch is a Microbiologist at the National Wildlife Health Center.
He received bachelor degrees in Bacteriology and Wildlife Ecology and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Since joining the USGS, Dr. Lorch has devoted his career to investigating and diagnosing wildlife mortality events and studying emerging wildlife diseases. Presently, his work focuses on disease ecology and management of bat white-nose syndrome and snake fungal disease, surveillance for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (the fungus that causes salamander chytridiomycosis), and development of molecular methods for detection of wildlife pathogens.
Professional Experience
2015 – Present, Microbiologist, National Wildlife Health Center
2012 – 2015, Research Associate, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Molecular and Environmental Toxicology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 2012
B.S. Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 2005
B.S. Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 2005
Affiliations and Memberships*
2015 – Present, Honorary Associate, Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 70
Host susceptibility to snake fungal disease is highly dispersed across phylogenetic and functional trait space
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) reduce host population sizes, cause extinction, disassemble communities, and have indirect negative effects on human well-being. Fungal EIDs have reduced population abundances in amphibians and bats across many species over large areas. The recent emergence of snake fungal disease (SFD) may have caused declines in some snake populations in the Eastern United Sta
Authors
Frank T. Burbrink, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Karen R. Lips
Snake fungal disease: An emerging threat to wild snakes
Since 2006, there has been a marked increase in the number of reports of severe and often fatal fungal skin infections in wild snakes in the eastern USA. The emerging condition, referred to as snake fungal disease (SFD), was initially documented in rattlesnakes, where the infections were believed to pose a risk to the viability of affected populations. The disease is caused byOphidiomyces ophiodii
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Susan Knowles, Julia S. Lankton, Kathy Michell, Jaime L. Edwards, Joshua M. Kapfer, Richard A. Staffen, Erik R. Wild, Katie Z. Schmidt, Anne Ballmann, Doug Blodgett, Terence M. Farrell, Brad M. Glorioso, Lisa A. Last, Steven J. Price, Krysten L. Schuler, Christopher Smith, James F. X. Wellehan, David S. Blehert
Detection of spring viraemia of carp virus in imported amphibians reveals an unanticipated foreign animal disease threat
Global translocation of plants and animals is a well-recognized mechanism for introduction of pathogens into new regions. To mitigate this risk, various tools such as preshipment health certificates, quarantines, screening for specific disease agents and outright bans have been implemented. However, such measures only target known infectious agents and their hosts and may fail to prevent transloca
Authors
Hon S. Ip, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert
First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease of bats caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Since it was first detected near Albany, NY, in 2006, the fungus has spread across eastern North America, killing unprecedented numbers of hibernating bats. The devastating impacts of WNS on Nearctic bat species are attributed to the likely introduction of P. destructans from Eurasia to naive ho
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Jonathan M. Palmer, Daniel L. Lindner, Anne Ballmann, Kyle George, Kathryn M. Griffin, Susan Knowles, John R. Huckabee, Katherine H. Haman, Christopher D. Anderson, Penny A. Becker, Joseph B. Buchanan, Jeffrey T. Foster, David S. Blehert
Use of multiple sequencing technologies to produce a high-quality genome of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of bat White-Nose syndrome
White-Nose syndrome has recently emerged as one of the most devastating wildlife diseases recorded, causing widespread mortality in numerous bat species throughout eastern North America. Here, we present an improvised reference genome of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans for use in comparative genomic studies.
Authors
Kevin P. Drees, Jonathan M. Palmer, Robert Sebra, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Cynthia Chen, ChengCang Wu, Jin Woo Bok, Nancy F. Keller, David S. Blehert, Christina A. Cuomo, Daniel L. Linder, Jeffrey T. Foster
First documented case of snake fungal disease in a free-ranging wild snake in Louisiana
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is a recently documented mycotic disease characterized by scabs or crusty scales, subcutaneous nodules, abnormal molting, cloudiness of the eyes (not associated with molting), and localized thickening or crusting of the skin. SFD has been documented in many species in the Eastern and Midwestern United States within the last decade. SFD has proven lethal in many snakes, a
Authors
Brad M. Glorioso, J. Hardin Waddle, David E. Green, Jeffrey M. Lorch
Optimized methods for total nucleic acid extraction and quantification of the bat white-nose syndrome fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, from swab and environmental samples
The continued spread of white-nose syndrome and its impacts on hibernating bat populations across North America has prompted nationwide surveillance efforts and the need for high-throughput, noninvasive diagnostic tools. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis has been increasingly used for detection of the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, in both bat- and e
Authors
Michelle Verant, Elizabeth A. Bohuski, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert
Experimental infection of snakes with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola causes pathological changes that typify snake fungal disease
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging skin infection of wild snakes in eastern North America. The fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola is frequently associated with the skin lesions that are characteristic of SFD, but a causal relationship between the fungus and the disease has not been established. We experimentally infected captive-bred corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) in the laboratory with
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Julia S. Lankton, Katrien Werner, Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Kevin McCurley, David S. Blehert
Detection of snake fungal disease due to Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Virginia, USA
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging disease of wildlife believed to be caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. Although geographic and host ranges have yet to be determined, this disease is characterized by crusty scales, superficial pustules, and subcutaneous nodules, with subsequent morbidity and mortality in some snake species. To confirm the presence of SFD and O. ophiodiicola in snakes of
Authors
Amanda L. Guthrie, Susan Knowles, Anne Ballmann, Jeffrey M. Lorch
TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, the fungus associated with snake fungal disease
Background
Fungal skin infections associated with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a member of the Chrysosporiumanamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV) complex, have been linked to an increasing number of cases of snake fungal disease (SFD) in captive snakes around the world and in wild snake populations in eastern North America. The emergence of SFD in both captive and wild situations has led to an i
Authors
Elizabeth A. Bohuski, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Kathryn M. Griffin, David S. Blehert
The fungus Trichophyton redellii sp. nov. causes skin infections that resemble white-nose syndrome of hibernating bats
Before the discovery of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans, there were no reports of fungal skin infections in bats during hibernation. In 2011, bats with grossly visible fungal skin infections similar in appearance to WNS were reported from multiple sites in Wisconsin, USA, a state outside the known range of P. destructans and WNS at that time. Tape
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Andrew M. Minnis, Carol U. Meteyer, Jennifer A. Redell, J. Paul White, Heather M. Kaarakka, Laura K. Muller, David L. Lindner, Michelle L. Verant, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, David S. Blehert
White-nose syndrome initiates a cascade of physiologic disturbances in the hibernating bat host
Background
The physiological effects of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats and ultimate causes of mortality from infection with Pseudogymnoascus (formerly Geomyces) destructans are not fully understood. Increased frequency of arousal from torpor described among hibernating bats with late-stage WNS is thought to accelerate depletion of fat reserves, but the physiological mechanisms that
Authors
Michelle L. Verant, Carol U. Meteyer, John R. Speakman, Paul M. Cryan, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert
Non-USGS Publications**
Kapfer, J.M., Sloss, B.L., Schuurman, G.W., Paloski, R.A., and Lorch, J.M. 2013. Evidence of hybridization between common gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) and Butler's gartersnake (Thamnophis butleri) in Wisconsin (USA). Journal of Herpetology 47:400-405.
**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: 70
Host susceptibility to snake fungal disease is highly dispersed across phylogenetic and functional trait space
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) reduce host population sizes, cause extinction, disassemble communities, and have indirect negative effects on human well-being. Fungal EIDs have reduced population abundances in amphibians and bats across many species over large areas. The recent emergence of snake fungal disease (SFD) may have caused declines in some snake populations in the Eastern United Sta
Authors
Frank T. Burbrink, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Karen R. Lips
Snake fungal disease: An emerging threat to wild snakes
Since 2006, there has been a marked increase in the number of reports of severe and often fatal fungal skin infections in wild snakes in the eastern USA. The emerging condition, referred to as snake fungal disease (SFD), was initially documented in rattlesnakes, where the infections were believed to pose a risk to the viability of affected populations. The disease is caused byOphidiomyces ophiodii
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Susan Knowles, Julia S. Lankton, Kathy Michell, Jaime L. Edwards, Joshua M. Kapfer, Richard A. Staffen, Erik R. Wild, Katie Z. Schmidt, Anne Ballmann, Doug Blodgett, Terence M. Farrell, Brad M. Glorioso, Lisa A. Last, Steven J. Price, Krysten L. Schuler, Christopher Smith, James F. X. Wellehan, David S. Blehert
Detection of spring viraemia of carp virus in imported amphibians reveals an unanticipated foreign animal disease threat
Global translocation of plants and animals is a well-recognized mechanism for introduction of pathogens into new regions. To mitigate this risk, various tools such as preshipment health certificates, quarantines, screening for specific disease agents and outright bans have been implemented. However, such measures only target known infectious agents and their hosts and may fail to prevent transloca
Authors
Hon S. Ip, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert
First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease of bats caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Since it was first detected near Albany, NY, in 2006, the fungus has spread across eastern North America, killing unprecedented numbers of hibernating bats. The devastating impacts of WNS on Nearctic bat species are attributed to the likely introduction of P. destructans from Eurasia to naive ho
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Jonathan M. Palmer, Daniel L. Lindner, Anne Ballmann, Kyle George, Kathryn M. Griffin, Susan Knowles, John R. Huckabee, Katherine H. Haman, Christopher D. Anderson, Penny A. Becker, Joseph B. Buchanan, Jeffrey T. Foster, David S. Blehert
Use of multiple sequencing technologies to produce a high-quality genome of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of bat White-Nose syndrome
White-Nose syndrome has recently emerged as one of the most devastating wildlife diseases recorded, causing widespread mortality in numerous bat species throughout eastern North America. Here, we present an improvised reference genome of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans for use in comparative genomic studies.
Authors
Kevin P. Drees, Jonathan M. Palmer, Robert Sebra, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Cynthia Chen, ChengCang Wu, Jin Woo Bok, Nancy F. Keller, David S. Blehert, Christina A. Cuomo, Daniel L. Linder, Jeffrey T. Foster
First documented case of snake fungal disease in a free-ranging wild snake in Louisiana
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is a recently documented mycotic disease characterized by scabs or crusty scales, subcutaneous nodules, abnormal molting, cloudiness of the eyes (not associated with molting), and localized thickening or crusting of the skin. SFD has been documented in many species in the Eastern and Midwestern United States within the last decade. SFD has proven lethal in many snakes, a
Authors
Brad M. Glorioso, J. Hardin Waddle, David E. Green, Jeffrey M. Lorch
Optimized methods for total nucleic acid extraction and quantification of the bat white-nose syndrome fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, from swab and environmental samples
The continued spread of white-nose syndrome and its impacts on hibernating bat populations across North America has prompted nationwide surveillance efforts and the need for high-throughput, noninvasive diagnostic tools. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis has been increasingly used for detection of the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, in both bat- and e
Authors
Michelle Verant, Elizabeth A. Bohuski, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert
Experimental infection of snakes with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola causes pathological changes that typify snake fungal disease
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging skin infection of wild snakes in eastern North America. The fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola is frequently associated with the skin lesions that are characteristic of SFD, but a causal relationship between the fungus and the disease has not been established. We experimentally infected captive-bred corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) in the laboratory with
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Julia S. Lankton, Katrien Werner, Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Kevin McCurley, David S. Blehert
Detection of snake fungal disease due to Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Virginia, USA
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging disease of wildlife believed to be caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. Although geographic and host ranges have yet to be determined, this disease is characterized by crusty scales, superficial pustules, and subcutaneous nodules, with subsequent morbidity and mortality in some snake species. To confirm the presence of SFD and O. ophiodiicola in snakes of
Authors
Amanda L. Guthrie, Susan Knowles, Anne Ballmann, Jeffrey M. Lorch
TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, the fungus associated with snake fungal disease
Background
Fungal skin infections associated with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a member of the Chrysosporiumanamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV) complex, have been linked to an increasing number of cases of snake fungal disease (SFD) in captive snakes around the world and in wild snake populations in eastern North America. The emergence of SFD in both captive and wild situations has led to an i
Authors
Elizabeth A. Bohuski, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Kathryn M. Griffin, David S. Blehert
The fungus Trichophyton redellii sp. nov. causes skin infections that resemble white-nose syndrome of hibernating bats
Before the discovery of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans, there were no reports of fungal skin infections in bats during hibernation. In 2011, bats with grossly visible fungal skin infections similar in appearance to WNS were reported from multiple sites in Wisconsin, USA, a state outside the known range of P. destructans and WNS at that time. Tape
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Andrew M. Minnis, Carol U. Meteyer, Jennifer A. Redell, J. Paul White, Heather M. Kaarakka, Laura K. Muller, David L. Lindner, Michelle L. Verant, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, David S. Blehert
White-nose syndrome initiates a cascade of physiologic disturbances in the hibernating bat host
Background
The physiological effects of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats and ultimate causes of mortality from infection with Pseudogymnoascus (formerly Geomyces) destructans are not fully understood. Increased frequency of arousal from torpor described among hibernating bats with late-stage WNS is thought to accelerate depletion of fat reserves, but the physiological mechanisms that
Authors
Michelle L. Verant, Carol U. Meteyer, John R. Speakman, Paul M. Cryan, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert
Non-USGS Publications**
Kapfer, J.M., Sloss, B.L., Schuurman, G.W., Paloski, R.A., and Lorch, J.M. 2013. Evidence of hybridization between common gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) and Butler's gartersnake (Thamnophis butleri) in Wisconsin (USA). Journal of Herpetology 47:400-405.
**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