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National Wildlife Health Center

Welcome to the National Wildlife Health Center! Our mission is to advance wildlife health science for the benefit of animals, humans, and the environment.

Explore SCIENCE to learn more about wildlife diseases, ongoing projects, the Honolulu Field Station, and our services.

Explore WEB TOOLS to access WHISPers, wildlife health bulletins, our field manual, and more.

News

Presumptive Candida Stomatitis in a Broad-Tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)

Presumptive Candida Stomatitis in a Broad-Tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)

A Tale of Two Islands and the Future of an Ocean Sentinel Seabird

A Tale of Two Islands and the Future of an Ocean Sentinel Seabird

EcoNews - Vol. 7 | Issue 2

EcoNews - Vol. 7 | Issue 2

Publications

Digging into soil: Effects of soil texture on RT-QuIC performance for environmental prion surveillance. Digging into soil: Effects of soil texture on RT-QuIC performance for environmental prion surveillance.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious prions affecting wild and captive cervids. Transmission occurs directly between hosts or indirectly through contact with prion-contaminated environments. Soils, particularly those rich in clay, are hypothesized to enhance prion stability, retention, and bioavailability. Accurate detection of prions is...
Authors
Stephanie J. Katircioglu, Heather N.  Inzalaco, Allen Jeffrey Herbst, Daniel J. Storm, Stuart S.  Lichtenberg, Rodrigo   Morales,  Reece McGinn, Daniel P. Walsh, Wendy Christine Turner

Debunking the myth of the quintessential resource manager: Precision in actionable science Debunking the myth of the quintessential resource manager: Precision in actionable science

“Actionable science” is a widely held standard for identifying the merits of natural resources research. Yet, science is often framed as actionable to a vaguely identified quintessential “manager” without defining either the intended manager or use. Generic descriptions lack precision for identifying end users or their needs, limiting methodological rigor in research design and leading...
Authors
Amanda E. Cravens, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Megan A. Moore, Richard Eugene Waggaman Berl, Nicholas W. Cole, Oronde Oliver Drakes, Diamond Victoria Ebanks, David C. Fulton, Megan Siobhan Jones, Dawn Marie Kotowicz, Michael C Mcinturff, James R. Meldrum, Kathryn Powlen, Aaron Daniel Russell, Stefan Gabriel Tangen, Emily J. Wilkins

Annotated bibliography of scientific research on new world screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) myiasis in wildlife Annotated bibliography of scientific research on new world screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) myiasis in wildlife

The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax; NWS) is a parasitic blowfly that lays its eggs in open wounds of live, warm-blooded animals including livestock, wildlife, and potentially humans. The larvae consume living animal tissue, and if untreated, the infestation can lead to death. Although NWS was eradicated in the United States in 1966, it has been moving northward from its...
Authors
Sarah Timbie, Shelby Jo Weidenkopf, Daniel A. Grear

Science

Dynamics of Rabies Transmission in Vampire Bats (Desmodus rotundus) and Potential for Control Through Vaccination

Vampire bats ( Desmodus rotundus) are the primary spreader of rabies, a lethal disease that harms livestock and people across Latin America. Growth of the livestock industry and environmental changes in this region are leading to the expansion of vampire bats’ habitat range, and it is considered likely this species will move into the southern United States.
Dynamics of Rabies Transmission in Vampire Bats (Desmodus rotundus) and Potential for Control Through Vaccination

Dynamics of Rabies Transmission in Vampire Bats (Desmodus rotundus) and Potential for Control Through Vaccination

Vampire bats ( Desmodus rotundus) are the primary spreader of rabies, a lethal disease that harms livestock and people across Latin America. Growth of the livestock industry and environmental changes in this region are leading to the expansion of vampire bats’ habitat range, and it is considered likely this species will move into the southern United States.
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Assessing the Ability of Incineration to Inactivate CWD Prions from Carcasses

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurologic disease of cervids, presents a monumental management challenge, in part because the etiologic agent, an infectious prion, can be transmitted directly or indirectly and is extremely difficult to inactivate. As CWD expands geographically and increases in prevalence, additional disposal options are desired to safely dispose of CWD-contaminated tissues...
Assessing the Ability of Incineration to Inactivate CWD Prions from Carcasses

Assessing the Ability of Incineration to Inactivate CWD Prions from Carcasses

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurologic disease of cervids, presents a monumental management challenge, in part because the etiologic agent, an infectious prion, can be transmitted directly or indirectly and is extremely difficult to inactivate. As CWD expands geographically and increases in prevalence, additional disposal options are desired to safely dispose of CWD-contaminated tissues...
Learn More

Application of a systems approach for management of chronic wasting disease

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ventana Systems, Inc., and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) are applying a systems approach to map and model the complex relationships among ecological, epidemiological, social, and political processes affecting CWD. Through a participatory modeling process, we gathered subject matter...
Application of a systems approach for management of chronic wasting disease

Application of a systems approach for management of chronic wasting disease

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ventana Systems, Inc., and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) are applying a systems approach to map and model the complex relationships among ecological, epidemiological, social, and political processes affecting CWD. Through a participatory modeling process, we gathered subject matter...
Learn More
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