Dr. Carol U. Meteyer and Dr. David S. Blehert received the Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award from the Wildlife Disease Association and the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians for their pioneering work on white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats.
WNS, a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has killed millions of bats in North America since it was first diagnosed in New York in 2007. Pseudogymnoascus destructans shows up as a white fungus that infects skin of the muzzle, ears, and wings of hibernating bats—hence the name white-nose syndrome. Although WNS does not pose a direct threat to people, the disease decimates bats, which serve critical ecological functions by consuming insect pests of crops and forests. Without bats it is estimated that agricultural losses in North America alone would exceed $3 billion each year.
Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award
The Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award is presented by the Wildlife Disease Association and American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians to scientists "in acknowledgement of either an exemplary contribution or achievement combining wildlife disease research with wildlife management policy implementation or elucidating particularly significant problems in wildlife health."
Dr. Meteyer and Dr. Blehert received the award for their seminal scientific research, publications, and expert consultation that have been instrumental in the wildlife health community's understanding of WNS. Their research confirmed the cause of WNS, defined the pathologic criteria for diagnosing WNS, provided new information on the biology of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, and provided a nonlethal ultraviolet (UV) light screening tool for WNS. Dr. Blehert's and Dr. Meteyer's scientific discoveries and publications have laid the groundwork for all subsequent and future studies on WNS.
Dr. Meteyer has investigated the causes of wildlife mortality in more than 6,000 animals and provided initial detections and pathophysiology of several wildlife diseases in the United States and overseas, including identification of the veterinary drug, diclofenac, as the cause of the population crash of Gyps vultures in Pakistan. She has also championed efforts to address effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on fish and wildlife of the Chesapeake Bay.
Dr. Blehert manages the Wildlife Disease Diagnostic Laboratories Branch at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC). As Branch Chief, he oversees investigations to determine cause of death for wildlife mortality events across the U.S. and to detect, discover and characterize emerging pathogens. His laboratories also conduct surveillance for animal diseases of high consequence. Through this work, Dr. Blehert and the NWHC support efforts to mitigate the impacts of infectious disease to wildlife, domestic animals, and humans.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Population Demographic Models for the Conservation of Endangered Indiana Bats at Risk to White-Nose Syndrome
Infection by White-nose Syndrome is likely to Extirpate the Endangered Indiana Bat over major portions of its current range
Ecological Investigations of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
White-Nose Syndrome Threatens the Survival of Hibernating Bats in North America
Surveillance for the Presence of White-Nose Syndrome in the Bat Community at El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico
- Overview
Dr. Carol U. Meteyer and Dr. David S. Blehert received the Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award from the Wildlife Disease Association and the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians for their pioneering work on white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats.
WNS, a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has killed millions of bats in North America since it was first diagnosed in New York in 2007. Pseudogymnoascus destructans shows up as a white fungus that infects skin of the muzzle, ears, and wings of hibernating bats—hence the name white-nose syndrome. Although WNS does not pose a direct threat to people, the disease decimates bats, which serve critical ecological functions by consuming insect pests of crops and forests. Without bats it is estimated that agricultural losses in North America alone would exceed $3 billion each year.
Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award
The Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award is presented by the Wildlife Disease Association and American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians to scientists "in acknowledgement of either an exemplary contribution or achievement combining wildlife disease research with wildlife management policy implementation or elucidating particularly significant problems in wildlife health."
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Dr. David S. Blehert working in a laboratory Dr. Meteyer and Dr. Blehert received the award for their seminal scientific research, publications, and expert consultation that have been instrumental in the wildlife health community's understanding of WNS. Their research confirmed the cause of WNS, defined the pathologic criteria for diagnosing WNS, provided new information on the biology of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, and provided a nonlethal ultraviolet (UV) light screening tool for WNS. Dr. Blehert's and Dr. Meteyer's scientific discoveries and publications have laid the groundwork for all subsequent and future studies on WNS.
Dr. Meteyer has investigated the causes of wildlife mortality in more than 6,000 animals and provided initial detections and pathophysiology of several wildlife diseases in the United States and overseas, including identification of the veterinary drug, diclofenac, as the cause of the population crash of Gyps vultures in Pakistan. She has also championed efforts to address effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on fish and wildlife of the Chesapeake Bay.
Dr. Blehert manages the Wildlife Disease Diagnostic Laboratories Branch at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC). As Branch Chief, he oversees investigations to determine cause of death for wildlife mortality events across the U.S. and to detect, discover and characterize emerging pathogens. His laboratories also conduct surveillance for animal diseases of high consequence. Through this work, Dr. Blehert and the NWHC support efforts to mitigate the impacts of infectious disease to wildlife, domestic animals, and humans.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Population Demographic Models for the Conservation of Endangered Indiana Bats at Risk to White-Nose Syndrome
Bat Research Bats are nocturnal, flying mammals that eat insects or fruits, pollinate flowers, distribute seeds, and are important to many ecosystems. Across North America there are 45 species of bats, many of which are threatened or endangered. One species of federally endangered bat, the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), is a medium-sized, gray, black, or chestnut brown bat living primarily in...Infection by White-nose Syndrome is likely to Extirpate the Endangered Indiana Bat over major portions of its current range
White-nose syndrome (WNS), a novel fungal pathogen of cave-hibernating bat species in east and central North America, is causing the most precipitous decline in bat populations ever reported. This disease causes mortality in at least 6 species of bats, including the endangered Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis), with mortality rates in some hibernacula averaging 95%. Since the onset of this disease in...Ecological Investigations of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease that threatens the survival of hibernating bats in North America. Since first documented in the winter of 2005/2006, WNS has spread from a very small area of New York across at least two thousand kilometers in half or more of states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada. Over five million bats are estimated to have died during the past decade from...White-Nose Syndrome Threatens the Survival of Hibernating Bats in North America
During the winter of 2006–2007, an affliction of unknown origin dubbed “white-nose syndrome” (WNS) began devastating colonies of hibernating bats in a small area around Albany, New York. Colonies of hibernating bats were reduced 80–97 percent at the affected caves and mines that were surveyed. Since then, white-nose syndrome or its causative agent have consistently spread more than 2,000...Surveillance for the Presence of White-Nose Syndrome in the Bat Community at El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico
In 1999 and 2000, FORT conducted a survey of bats at El Malpais National Monument and adjacent lands. During this study, several species of bats were documented, including some that are known to use caves or lava-tube formations as roosts. In the winter of 2006–2007, the fungus-caused disease known as “white-nose syndrome” (WNS) began devastating populations of hibernating bat species that use... - Publications
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