Disease and Contaminants

Diseases and Pathogens 

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Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites are a normal part of any ecosystem. But viruses, along with some bacteria, fungi, and parasites, can also be pathogens, meaning they cause disease in humans, plants, and wildlife. The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans causes the deadly white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats. A tiny protein particle known as a prion causes the fatal brain disease Chronic Wasting Disease in deer. The H5N1 virus causes avian influenza in birds. These diseases can devastate wildlife populations and have serious conservation and management consequences. The health of people is also connected to the health of wildlife and our shared environment. Some diseases, known as zoonotic diseases, can jump from animals to humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60% of known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals. Other diseases can jump from wild animals to domestic animals.  

USGS is a leader in wildlife disease research and surveillance. The USGS monitors the presence of pathogens and diseases in animals and the environment, develops tools for their detection, identifies whether environmental factors influence their spread, and studies the health risks that they pose. Our scientists are at the table with public and animal health agencies as they tackle diseases that affect mammals, fish, reptiles, and more, developing advanced tools for diagnosis, surveillance, risk assessment, and control.   

Contaminants and Toxins 

Contaminants and toxins represent another potential threat to the health of humans and wildlife, and in their shared environment. People use chemical-based products every day, and these chemicals enter the environment from treated wastewater, industrial processes, runoff from urban and agricultural land surfaces, and more. Pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are just a few examples of the many contaminants that make their way into our Nation’s waterways each day. Contaminants may be found at high levels and cause immediate effects or occur lower levels and only cause problems after long-term exposure, and sometimes the chemicals are at low enough levels that they do not by themselves create a health risk.   

The environment also contains natural toxins. For example, algal blooms often contain cyanobacteria and other microorganisms which can produce natural toxins that harm people, pets, and wildlife when they occur at high enough levels in water resources used for recreation and drinking water. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur when environmental conditions are favorable, such as when water temperatures are unusually warm, but human activities can also contribute to their occurrence, for example when fertilizers used on lawns and crops run off into waterways.  

USGS scientists develop and use advanced techniques and tools to quantify the presence of contaminants and toxins in the environment, determine when, where, and how exposure occurs, forecast future occurrence, and assess their effects all the way up the food chain. 

Supporting the Health of Our Wildlife, Lands, and Waters 

The USGS is a leader in developing research solutions to address the deadliest wildlife diseases, detect pathogens in the environment, and monitor for the presence of dangerous chemicals and toxins.

Threat Detection and Rapid Response 

USGS science focuses on quickly detecting, characterizing, and responding to potential hazards and biological threats, including infectious diseases like chronic wasting disease and avian influenza and other pathogens like waterborne bacteria.  

The USGS is leading efforts to predict and forecast the risk of biological threats like infectious diseases and to ensure that these risks are detected early. This information helps federal, and state natural resource managers and public health professionals prepare for and respond to these threats. The USGS is developing a nationwide biosurveillance network to address ongoing and emerging needs through projects that improve threat detection, interagency communication, and early detection and rapid response decision making. Explore these activities below. 

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Environmental DNA

Environmental DNA (eDNA), or DNA that is released from an organism into the environment, can allow for rapid, cost-effective data collection on the distribution and abundance of a species. It can also be used to understand the distribution and prevalence of pathogens on land or in water. 

Investigating Exposure to Lethal Threats

Sometimes, the effects of biological threats are immediate and abrupt, such as the sudden and sharp decline of a population, an event known as a “die-off”. In other cases, impacts are felt over time, such as when small amounts of a contaminant build up in the tissues of organisms and can cause long-term effects on plant, animal, and even human health. USGS scientists work in collaboration with partner agencies to investigate the exposure of plants and animals to lethal diseases, pathogens, contaminants, and the impacts of these threats on species.