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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 services.
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Science Spotlight: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) has been confirmed for the first time in wild rabbits in the United States.
Learn MoreHonolulu Field Station
The NWHC HFS provides support to the natural resource communities of Hawaii and the Pacific Basin in the investigation of wildlife diseases.
Learn MoreNews
Pathology case of the month - Desert Cottontail
Case History: An adult male desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) was found dead on a ranch in west Texas, U.S.A. Other rabbits had been reported sick in the area; clinical signs included lethargy, uncoordinated movements, and blood around the nose and mouth.
Pathology Case of the Month - Mallard Ducks
Case History: In late December 2019, 25 dead mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were observed in a retention pond belonging to an adjacent factory in Minnesota.
Pathology Case of the Month - Timber Wolf
Case History: An aged adult male 36 kg Timber Wolf was found dead in the winter of 2003 in northern Wisconsin, USA. The weather was clear and cold, with low temperatures in the negative single digits. Wolf and coyote tracks were present in the area.
Publications
Mass mortality in freshwater mussels (Actinonaias pectorosa) in the Clinch River, USA, linked to a novel densovirus
Freshwater mussels (order Unionida) are among the world’s most biodiverse but imperiled taxa. Recent unionid mass mortality events around the world threaten ecosystem services such as water filtration, nutrient cycling, habitat stabilization, and food web enhancement, but causes have remained elusive. To examine potential infectious causes of...
Richard, Jordon; Leis, Eric; Dunn, Christopher D.; Agbalog, Rose; Waller, Diane L.; Knowles, Susan; Putnam, Joel G.; Goldberg, Tony Canine distemper virus in the sea otter population (Enhydra lutris) in Washington State, USA
Before 2001, all serosurveys for morbilliviruses in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in California, Washington, and Alaska, USA, documented a 0% seroprevalence. The first published serologic detections of morbillivirus in sea otters occurred in 2001–02 in live-captured Washington sea otters, with a documented 80% seroprevalence. We conducted a...
Thomas, Nancy; White, C. LeAnn; Saliki, Jeremiah; Schuler, Krysten L.; Lynch, Deanna; Nielsen, Ole; Dubey, J.P.; Knowles, Susan Elemental and radionuclide exposures and uptakes by small rodents, invertebrates, and vegetation at active and post-production uranium mines in the Grand Canyon watershed
The effects of breccia pipe uranium mining in the Grand Canyon watershed (Arizona) on ecological and cultural resources are largely unknown. We characterized the exposure of biota to uranium and co-occurring ore body elements during active ore production and at a site where ore production had recently concluded. Our results indicate that biota...
Cleveland, Danielle; Hinck, Jo Ellen; Lankton, Julia S.