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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

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

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Wildlife Disease Case Definitions

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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.

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Additional Resources

Filter Total Items: 1654

Applying a Bayesian weighted surveillance approach to detect chronic wasting disease in white‐tailed deer Applying a Bayesian weighted surveillance approach to detect chronic wasting disease in white‐tailed deer

Surveillance is critical for early detection of emerging and re‐emerging infectious diseases. Weighted surveillance leverages heterogeneity in infection risk to increase sampling efficiency.Here, we apply a Bayesian approach to estimate weights for 16 surveillance classes of white‐tailed deer in Wisconsin, USA, relative to hunter‐harvested yearling males. We used these weights to conduct...
Authors
Christopher S. Jennelle, Daniel P. Walsh, Michael D. Samuel, Erik E. Osnas, Robert E. Rolley, Julia A. Langenberg, Jenny G. Powers, Ryan J. Monello, E. David Demarest, Rolf Gubler, Dennis M. Heisey
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center

An update on Toxoplasma gondii infections in northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Washington State, USA An update on Toxoplasma gondii infections in northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Washington State, USA

Toxoplasmosis in marine mammals is epidemiologically and clinically important. Toxoplasma gondii antibodies (by modified agglutination test, cut-off ≥1:25) were detected in serum of 65 of 70 (92.9%) northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Washington State, USA. Brains and/or muscles of 44 sea otters were bioassayed in mice (INF-γ knock-out [KO], Swiss Webster outbred [SW]) and...
Authors
Shiv K. Verma, Susan Knowles, Camila K. Cerqueira-Cezar, Oliver C. Kwok, Tiantian Jiang, Chunlei Su, Jitender P. Dubey
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

USGS quarterly wildlife mortality report July 2018 USGS quarterly wildlife mortality report July 2018

No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Anne Ballmann, Michelle St. Martin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Alaska Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, National Wildlife Health Center

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, National Wildlife Health Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

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
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center
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