Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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

Sanderling on sand.

Wildlife Health Bulletins are distributed to natural resource/conservation agencies to provide and promote information exchange about significant wildlife health threats.

Access Bulletins

Wildlife Disease Case Definitions

Lesser black-backed gull

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.

Access Case Definitions

Additional Resources

Filter Total Items: 1667

Investigating maternity roost selection by northern long-eared bats at three sites in Wisconsin Investigating maternity roost selection by northern long-eared bats at three sites in Wisconsin

One of the North American bat species most impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS) is the northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis, which as a result has been listed under the Endangered Species Act. WNS was first detected in Wisconsin in 2014. Unfortunately, little is known regarding the ecology of M. septentrionalis in this state pre-WNS to guide management supporting post-WNS...
Authors
Brenna A. Hyzy, Robin E. Russell, Alex Silvis, W. Mark Ford, Jason Riddle, Kevin Russell
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016 Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016

About 62,000 dead or dying common murres (Uria aalge), the trophically dominant fish-eating seabird of the North Pacific, washed ashore between summer 2015 and spring 2016 on beaches from California to Alaska. Most birds were severely emaciated and, so far, no evidence for anything other than starvation was found to explain this mass mortality. Three-quarters of murres were found in the...
Authors
John F. Piatt, Julia K. Parrish, Heather M. Renner, Sarah K. Schoen, Timothy Jones, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Kathy J. Kuletz, Barbara L. Bodenstein, Marisol Garcia-Reyes, Rebecca Duerr, Robin Corcoran, Robb S.A. Kaler, Gerard J. McChesney, Richard T. Golightly, Heather A. Coletti, Robert M. Suryan, Hillary K. Burgess, Jackie Lindsey, Kirsten Lindquist, Peter Warzybok, Jaime Jahncke, Jan Roletto, William J. Sydeman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center, Alaska Science Center

Standardized guide to the examination and necropsy of the horseshoe crab using Limulus polyphemus as Limulidae prototype Standardized guide to the examination and necropsy of the horseshoe crab using Limulus polyphemus as Limulidae prototype

The Atlantic, or American, horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) has existed largely unchanged for over 100 million years. Millions of individuals are commonly observed ashore in spring and summer months during spawning events along the entire North American coastline expanding from the East to the Gulf coasts of the United States and Mexico. Other species can be found in the Indian and...
Authors
Katie Roorda, Jill Arnold, Carol Meteyer, Brent Whitaker
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, National Wildlife Health Center

Outside the box: Working with wildlife in biocontainment Outside the box: Working with wildlife in biocontainment

Research with captive wildlife in Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL2) and 3 (ABSL3) facilities is becoming increasingly necessary as emerging and re-emerging diseases involving wildlife have increasing impacts on human, animal, and environmental health. Utilizing wildlife species in a research facility often requires outside the box thinking with specialized knowledge, practices, facilities...
Authors
Elizabeth Falendysz, Dana Marie Calhoun, Carrie Alison Smith, Jonathan M. Sleeman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Contrasting demographic responses of toad populations to regionally synchronous pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) dynamics Contrasting demographic responses of toad populations to regionally synchronous pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) dynamics

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen that causes amphibian chytridiomycosis, has been implicated in population declines globally. To better understand how Bd affects survival and how threats vary spatially and temporally, we conducted long-term (range: 9–13 yrs) capture-recapture studies of boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas) from three similar communities in western Montana...
Authors
Blake R. Hossack, Robin E. Russell, Rebecca M. McCaffery
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Postmortem evaluation of reintroduced migratory whooping cranes (Grus americana) in eastern North America Postmortem evaluation of reintroduced migratory whooping cranes (Grus americana) in eastern North America

We reviewed necropsy records of 124 Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) recovered following reintroduction of 268 individuals from 2001 to 2016 in the eastern US. Causes of death were determined in 62% (77/124) of cases facilitated by active monitoring that limited decomposition and scavenging artifact. The greatest proportions of mortality were caused by predation (0.468; 95% confidence...
Authors
Taylor J. Yaw, Kimberli J.G. Miller, Julia S. Lankton, Barry K. Hartup
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Inactivation of viable surrogates for the select agents virulent Newcastle disease virus and highly pathogenic avian influenza virus using either commercial lysis buffer or heat Inactivation of viable surrogates for the select agents virulent Newcastle disease virus and highly pathogenic avian influenza virus using either commercial lysis buffer or heat

Introduction:
Authors
Katrina E. Alger, S. Ip, Jeffrey S. Hall, Sean Nashold, Katherine Richgels, Carrie Alison Smith
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Successful molecular detection studies require clear communication among diverse research partners Successful molecular detection studies require clear communication among diverse research partners

Molecular detection techniques are powerful tools used in ecological applications ranging from diet analyses to pathogen surveillance. Research partnerships that use these tools often involve collaboration among professionals with expertise in field biology, laboratory techniques, quantitative modeling, wildlife disease, and natural resource management. However, in many cases, each of...
Authors
B. A. Mosher, R. F. Bernard, Jeffrey M. Lorch, D. A. W. Miller, Katherine L. D. Richgels, C. LeAnn White, Evan H. Campbell Grant
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

Avian influenza virus prevalence in marine birds is dependent on ocean temperatures Avian influenza virus prevalence in marine birds is dependent on ocean temperatures

Waterfowl and shorebirds are the primary hosts of influenza A virus (IAV), however, in most surveillance efforts, large populations of birds are not routinely examined; specifically marine ducks and other birds that reside predominately on or near the ocean. We conducted a long-term study sampling sea ducks and gulls in coastal Maine for IAV and found a virus prevalence (1.7%) much lower...
Authors
Jeffrey S. Hall, Robert J. Dusek, Sean Nashold, Joshua L. TeSlaa, Bradford R. Allen, Daniel A. Grear
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

The ecology of chronic wasting disease in wildlife The ecology of chronic wasting disease in wildlife

Prions are misfolded infectious proteins responsible for a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases termed transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or prion diseases. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is the prion disease with the highest spillover potential, affecting at least seven Cervidae (deer) species. The zoonotic potential of CWD is inconclusive and cannot be ruled out. A risk of...
Authors
Luis E. Escobar, Sandra Pritzkow, Steven N Winter, Daniel A. Grear, Megan S. Kirchgessner, Ernesto Dominguez-Villegas, Gustavo Machado, A Townsend Peterson, Claudio Soto
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center

Chronic wasting disease—Research by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners Chronic wasting disease—Research by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners

Authors
M. Camille Hopkins, Christina M. Carlson, Paul C. Cross, Christopher J. Johnson, Bryan J. Richards, Robin E. Russell, Michael D. Samuel, Glen A. Sargeant, Daniel P. Walsh, W. David Walter
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, National Wildlife Health Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Fluorescent biomarkers demonstrate prospects for spreadable vaccines to control disease transmission in wild bats Fluorescent biomarkers demonstrate prospects for spreadable vaccines to control disease transmission in wild bats

Vaccines that autonomously transfer among individuals have been proposed as a strategy to control infectious diseases within inaccessible wildlife populations. However, rates of vaccine spread and epidemiological efficacy in real-world systems remain elusive. Here, we investigate whether topical vaccines that transfer among individuals through social contacts can control vampire bat...
Authors
Kevin M. Bakker, Tonie E. Rocke, Jorge E. Osorio, Rachel C. Abbott, Carlos Tello, Jorge Carerra, William Valderrama, Carlos Shiva, Nestor Falcon, Daniel G. Streicker
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center
Was this page helpful?