Susan Knowles
Susan Knowles is a Wildlife Veterinary Pathologist at the National Wildlife Health Center.
She earned a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and completed a residency in veterinary pathology and earned a Doctorate in Veterinary Pathology from the University of Georgia. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. She joined the Center in 2013 and her interests include wildlife, aquatic, invertebrate and toxicologic pathology, and pathogen discovery. Before joining the Center, she gained a variety of experience in and around her native Maryland, performing research on shortnose sturgeon, serving as a Veterinary Officer in the United States Public Health Service stationed at the National Institutes of Health, and working as a Natural Resources Biologist for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources where she was a member of the Fish and Wildlife Health Program and served as the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Coordinator for the state.
Professional Experience
2013 – Present Wildlife Veterinary Pathologist, U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI
2006 – 2013 Resident of Anatomic and Aquatic Pathology and Graduate Assistant, Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
2003 – 2003 Veterinary Officer, Junior COSTEP, United States Public Health Service, Rockville, MD stationed at NIH, Diagnostic and Research Services Branch, Veterinary Pathology, Bethesda, MD
1996 – 2002 Natural Resources Biologist, Maryland Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Stranding Coordinator, Fish and Wildlife Health Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Cooperative Oxford Laboratory, Oxford, MD
1995 – 1996 Histology Technician, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Cooperative Oxford Laboratory, Oxford, MD
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Veterinary Pathology, University of Georgia, 2013
D.V.M., Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, 2006
B.S. Biology, Bucknell University, 1995
Affiliations and Memberships*
Diplomate American College of Veterinary Pathologists
Science and Products
Lethal infection of wild raptors with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 and H5N2 viruses in the USA, 2014–15
Building a response network to investigate potential pathogens associated with unionid mortality events
An update on Toxoplasma gondii infections in northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Washington State, USA
Chlamydia psittaci in feral Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) and other backyard birds in Maricopa County, Arizona
Infectious canine hepatitis in a brown bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) from Alaska.
Mortality trends in northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) collected from the coasts of Washington and Oregon (2002–15)
Natural infections with pigeon paramyxovirus serotype 1: Pathologic changes in Eurasian collared-doves (Streptopelia decaocto) and rock pigeons (Columba livia) in the United States
Lambdapapillomavirus 2 in a gray wolf (Canis lupus) from Minnesota with oral papillomatosis and sarcoptic mange
Snake fungal disease: An emerging threat to wild snakes
First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America
Detection of snake fungal disease due to Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Virginia, USA
Toxicity reference values for chlorophacinone and their application for assessing anticoagulant rodenticide risk to raptors
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Lethal infection of wild raptors with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 and H5N2 viruses in the USA, 2014–15
Building a response network to investigate potential pathogens associated with unionid mortality events
An update on Toxoplasma gondii infections in northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Washington State, USA
Chlamydia psittaci in feral Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) and other backyard birds in Maricopa County, Arizona
Infectious canine hepatitis in a brown bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) from Alaska.
Mortality trends in northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) collected from the coasts of Washington and Oregon (2002–15)
Natural infections with pigeon paramyxovirus serotype 1: Pathologic changes in Eurasian collared-doves (Streptopelia decaocto) and rock pigeons (Columba livia) in the United States
Lambdapapillomavirus 2 in a gray wolf (Canis lupus) from Minnesota with oral papillomatosis and sarcoptic mange
Snake fungal disease: An emerging threat to wild snakes
First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America
Detection of snake fungal disease due to Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Virginia, USA
Toxicity reference values for chlorophacinone and their application for assessing anticoagulant rodenticide risk to raptors
Non-USGS Publications**
**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