Publications
View citations of publications by National Wildlife Health Center scientists since our founding in 1975. Access to full-text is provided where possible.
Wildlife Health Bulletins
Wildlife Health Bulletins
Wildlife Health Bulletins are distributed to natural resource/conservation agencies to provide and promote information exchange about significant wildlife health threats.
Wildlife Disease Case Definitions
Wildlife Disease Case Definitions
Case definitions provide a standardized, science-based set of criteria for diagnosing disease and pathogens. This manual provides case definitions for selected diseases of importance to wildlife in Canada and the United States.
Filter Total Items: 1651
Effect of climate change on disease spread in wildlife Effect of climate change on disease spread in wildlife
A growing body of evidence indicates that climate change alone, or acting synergistically with current anthropogenic threats, is affecting the health of wild populations of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Measurable by-products of climate change include elevated atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, higher average global temperatures; variations in global precipitation...
Authors
Erik K. Hofmeister, Caroline R. Van Hemert
Associations of intestinal helminth infections with health parameters of spring-migrating female lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) in the upper Midwest, USA Associations of intestinal helminth infections with health parameters of spring-migrating female lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) in the upper Midwest, USA
Thousands of lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) die during spring and fall migrations through the upper Midwest, USA, from infections with Cyathocotyle bushiensis and Sphaeridiotrema spp. (Class: Trematoda) after ingesting infected intermediate hosts, such as non-native faucet snails (Bithynia tentaculata). The lesser scaup is a species of conservation concern and is highly susceptible to...
Authors
J. Conner England, Jeffrey M. Levengood, Josh M. Osborn, Aaron P. Yetter, C.D. Suski, Rebecca A. Cole, Heath M. Hagy
Quarterly wildlife mortality report April 2018 Quarterly wildlife mortality report April 2018
No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Anne Ballmann, C. LeAnn White
Factors influencing elk recruitment across ecotypes in the Western United States Factors influencing elk recruitment across ecotypes in the Western United States
Ungulates are key components in ecosystems and economically important for sport and subsistence harvest. Yet the relative importance of the effects of weather conditions, forage productivity, and carnivores on ungulates are not well understood. We examined changes in elk (Cervus canadensis) recruitment (indexed as age ratios) across 7 states and 3 ecotypes in the northwestern United...
Authors
Paul M. Lukacs, Michael S. Mitchell, Mark Hebblewhite, Bruce K. Johnson, Heather E. Johnson, Matthew J. Kauffman, Kelly M. Proffitt, Peter Zager, Jedediah Brodie, Kent Hersey, A. Andrew Holland, Mark Hurley, Scott McCorquodale, Arthur Middleton, Matthew Nordhagen, J. Joshua Nowak, Daniel P. Walsh, P.J. White
Reproductive success and contaminant associations in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) used to assess a Beneficial Use Impairment in U.S. and Binational Great Lakes’ Areas of Concern Reproductive success and contaminant associations in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) used to assess a Beneficial Use Impairment in U.S. and Binational Great Lakes’ Areas of Concern
During 2010-2014, tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) reproductive success was monitored at 68 sites across all 5 Great Lakes, including 58 sites located within Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) and 10 non-AOCs. Sample eggs were collected from tree swallow clutches and analyzed for contaminants including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and furans, polybrominated diphenyl...
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Matthew A. Etterson, Paul M. Dummer, Diana R. Goldberg, J. Christian Franson
High costs of infection: Alphavirus infection reduces digestive function and bone and feather growth in nestling house sparrows (Passer domesticus) High costs of infection: Alphavirus infection reduces digestive function and bone and feather growth in nestling house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
Increasingly, ecoimmunology studies aim to use relevant pathogen exposure to examine the impacts of infection on physiological processes in wild animals. Alphaviruses are arthropod-borne, single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses (“arboviruses”) responsible for millions of cases of human illnesses each year. Buggy Creek virus (BCRV) is a unique alphavirus that is transmitted by a cimicid...
Authors
Carol A. Fassbinder-Orth, Tess L. Killpack, Dylan S. Goto, Ellecia L. Rainwater, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler
Chlamydia psittaci in feral Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) and other backyard birds in Maricopa County, Arizona Chlamydia psittaci in feral Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) and other backyard birds in Maricopa County, Arizona
In 2013, a mortality event of nonnative, feral Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) in residential backyards in Maricopa County, Arizona, US was attributed to infection with Chlamydia psittaci. In June 2014, additional mortality occurred in the same region. Accordingly, in August 2014 we sampled live lovebirds and sympatric bird species visiting backyard bird feeders to determine...
Authors
Robert J. Dusek, Anne Justice-Allen, Barbara Bodenstein, Susan Knowles, Daniel A. Grear, Laura Adams, Craig Levy, Haley D. Yaglom, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Paula Ciembor, Christopher R. Gregory, Denise Pesti, Branson W. Ritchie
Influenza A virus recovery, diversity, and intercontinental exchange: A multi-year assessment of wild bird sampling at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Influenza A virus recovery, diversity, and intercontinental exchange: A multi-year assessment of wild bird sampling at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Western Alaska is a potential point-of-entry for foreign-origin influenza A viruses (IAVs) into North America via migratory birds. We sampled waterfowl and gulls for IAVs at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in western Alaska, USA, during late summer and autumn months of 2011–2015, to evaluate the abundance and diversity of viruses at this site. We collected 4842 samples across five...
Authors
Andrew B. Reeves, Jeffery S. Hall, Rebecca L. Poulson, Tyrone F. Donnelly, David E. Stallknecht, Andrew M. Ramey
Investigation of a largescale common murre (Uria aalge) mortality event in California in 2015 Investigation of a largescale common murre (Uria aalge) mortality event in California in 2015
From August through December 2015, beachcast bird survey programs reported increased deposition of common murres (Uria aalge) on central and northern California beaches, but not on southern California beaches. Coastal wildlife rehabilitation centers received more than 1,000 live, stranded, and debilitated murres from Sonoma County to San Luis Obispo County during August–October...
Authors
Corinne Gibble, Rebecca Duerr, Barbara Bodenstein, Kirsten Lindquist, Jackie Lindsey, Jessie Beck, Laird A. Henkel, Jan Roletto, Jim Harvey, Raphael Kudela
Refining aging criteria for northern sea otters in Washington State Refining aging criteria for northern sea otters in Washington State
Measurement of skull ossification patterns is a standard method for aging various mammalian species and has been used to age sea otters Enhydra lutris from Russia, California, and Alaska. Cementum annuli counts have also been verified as an accurate aging method for sea otters in Alaska. In this study, we compared cementum annuli count results and skull ossification patterns as methods...
Authors
Krysten L. Schuler, Bridget B. Baker, Karl A. Mayer, Carolina Perez-Heydrich, Paula M. Holahan, Nancy J. Thomas, C. LeAnn White
Managing an invasive corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific Managing an invasive corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific
In 2007, a phase shift from corals to corallimorpharians (CM) centered around a shipwreck was documented at Palmyra Atoll, Line Islands. Subsequent surveys revealed CM to be overgrowing the reef benthos, including corals and coralline algae, potentially placing coral ecosystems in the atoll at risk. This prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the lead management agency of the atoll...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Greta S. Aeby, Benjamin P. Neal, Nichole N. Price, Eric Conklin, Amanda Pollock
Annual variation in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs and nestlings at Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) study sites Annual variation in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs and nestlings at Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) study sites
Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs and nestlings were collected from 16 sites across the Great Lakes to quantify normal annual variation in total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure and to validate the sample size choice in earlier work. A sample size of five eggs or five nestlings per site was adequate to quantify exposure to PCBs in tree swallows given the current exposure...
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Paul M. Dummer, Diana R. Goldberg, J. Christian Franson