National Wildlife Health Center
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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.
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Pathology Case of the Month - Northern Pintail Duck
Case History: An adult male Northern Pintail Duck (Anas acuta) was found dead on a refuge in Arizona, US. Collectively at this location, 29 birds including Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens), Canada Geese (Branta canadensis), Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), and Northern Pintail Ducks (Anas acuta) were found dead with no reported...
Pathology case of the month - Mountain Cottontail
Case History: In June 2020, one adult female, 950-g, mountain cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus nuttallii) with bloody nasal discharge was found dead by a private landowner in Montana, U.S.A. and submitted frozen for cause of death determination. Two juvenile rabbits were found dead in proximity.
Publications
Skin fungal assemblages of bats vary based on susceptibility to white-nose syndrome
Microbial skin assemblages, including fungal communities, can influence host resistance to infectious diseases. The diversity-invasibility hypothesis predicts that high-diversity communities are less easily invaded than species-poor communities, and thus diverse microbial communities may prevent pathogens from colonizing a host. To explore the...
Vanderwolf, Karen J; Campbell, Lewis; Goldberg, Tony L; Blehert, David S.; Lorch, Jeffrey M. Principles and mechanisms of wildlife population persistence in the face of disease
Emerging infectious diseases can result in species declines and hamper recovery efforts for at-risk populations. Generalizing considerations for reducing the risk of pathogen introduction and mitigating the effects of disease remains challenging and inhibits our ability to provide guidance for species recovery planning. Given the growing rates of...
Russell, Robin E.; Direnzo, Graziella Vittoria; Szymanski, J.; Alger, Katrina Elizabeth; Campbell Grant, Evan H. Investigation of the 2018 thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) die-off on St. Lawrence Island rules out food shortage as the cause
Die-offs of seabirds in Alaska have occurred with increased frequency since 2015. In 2018, on St. Lawrence Island, seabirds were reported washing up dead on beaches starting in late May, peaking in June, and continuing until early August. The cause of death was documented to be starvation, leading to the conclusion that a severe food shortage was...
Will, Alexis; Thiebot, Jean-Baptiste; Ip, Hon S.; Shoogukwruk, Panguk; Annogiyuk, Morgan; Takahashi, Akinori; Shearn-Bochsler, Valerie I.; Killian, Mary-Lea; Torchetti, Mia Kim; Kitaysky, Alexander