Barbara Bodenstein is a Wildlife Disease Ecologist at the National Wildlife Health Center.
Professional Experience
2011-Present Wildlife Disease Ecologist, USGS National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI
2003-2011 Wildlife Disease Biologist (WI/MN), U.S.Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Disease Program, Sun Prairie, WI
1991-2003 Wildlife Health Technician, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI
Education and Certifications
B.S. Field Biology, Minor in Criminal Justice, University of Wisconsin Platteville, 1990
Affiliations and Memberships*
The Wildlife Society (including Wildlife Disease Working Group)
Wildlife Disease Association
Science and Products
Winter Eagle Deaths at Great Salt Lake due to West Nile Virus
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) diagnosed West Nile Virus (WNV) in numerous eared grebes and bald eagles that died in a 2013 mortality event in the Great Salt Lake (GSL). Diagnoses were based on findings during pathological analysis to determine cause of death, including molecular detection of WNV genetic material in tissues, and isolation of WNV from multiple tissues from each...
USGS National Wildlife Health Center necropsy and contaminant results for bald and golden eagles collected in 8 States from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2017 to determine cause of illness/death and lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticide exp
The U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) measured environmental contaminants in bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) to evaluate dietary exposure to lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticides (AR), which was identified by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a priority issue of concern for the Mountain Prairie Region 6. Carca
USGS National Wildlife Health Center necropsy results to determine cause of illness/death for seabirds collected in Alaska from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2021
Summary of Bering and Chukchi Seas seabird necropsies, 2017-2021. More than 14,000 dead seabirds were reported and a total of 117 carcasses were examined. 92 cases had emaciation identified as the Cause Of Death (COD), seven cases where COD was undetermined, and 17 cases where COD was determined as "Other", which included predation, trauma, encephalitis, peritonitis, and bacterial infection. Low P
Lead (Pb) in Bald and Golden Eagles from 38 United States, USA, 2010-2018
We evaluated lead poisoning in bald and golden eagles during all seasons of the year and from states in each of the four major flyways throughout the continental USA.
Dataset: Acute oral toxicity and tissue residues of saxitoxin in the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
This data set is composed of data collected from an experimental study inoculating mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) with Saxitoxin and associated control ducks. Data includes the specific of inoculation, observational behavioral data, daily weights, dosing, results of inoculation, testing of samples collected throughout the study, and necropsy results.
Domoic acid and saxitoxin in seabirds from California and Rhode Island 2015-2017
As harmful algal blooms (HABs) increase in magnitude and duration worldwide, they are becoming an expanding threat to marine wildlife. Over the past decade, domoic acid (DA) and saxitoxin (STX) have been increasingly problematic bicoastally in the United States. We investigated pooled seabird mortality data from opportunistic sampling events between 2007-2018, across three states, to examine the p
Data release for Investigation of a largescale common murre (Uria aalge) mortality event in California in 2015
During 2015, beachcast bird survey programs (Beach Watch and BeachCOMBERS) reported higher than average deposition of common murres (Uria aalge) on central and northern California beaches from August through December. Increased common murre mortality was not reported for southern California beaches. International Bird Rescue (IBR) located in Fairfield, CA and other coastal wildlife rehabilitation
Occurrence of Chlamydia sp in apparently healthy birds associated with a mortality event caused by chlamydiosis: Data
hese data sets are is a compilation of bird and environmental samples obtained from 6 sites in Maricopa County, Arizona on the dates shown. Sites were only visited and sampled if they had Rosy-cheeked lovebirds coming to bird feeders at the location and with the permission of the property owner. Two swab samples were obtained from each captured bird and 3 swab samples were collected from the envir
Filter Total Items: 43
Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagle) and Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle) mortality and exposure to lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticides in eight western and midwestern States, 2014–17
The U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center measured environmental contaminants in Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagles) and Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagles) to evaluate dietary exposure to lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticides (AR), all of which were identified by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a priority issue of concern for Mountain Prairie Region 6. Data were needed
Authors
Barbara L. Bodenstein, Julia S. Lankton, Robin E. Russell, Matthew S. Schwarz
Partnering in search of answers: Seabird die-offs in the Bering and Chukchi Seas
Prior to 2015, seabird die-offs in Alaskan waters were rare; they typically occurred in mid-winter, linked to epizootic disease events or above-average ocean temperatures associated with strong El Nino-Southern Oscillation events (Bodenstein et al. 2015, Jones et al. 2019, Romano et al. 2020). Since 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has monitored mortality events that have become an
Authors
Robb A. S. Kaler, Gay Sheffield, S Backensto, Jackie Lindsey, T. Jones, J. Parrish, B Ahmasuk, Barbara Bodenstein, Robert J. Dusek, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Matthew M. Smith, P Schwalenberg
Demographic implications of lead poisoning for eagles across North America
Lead poisoning occurs worldwide in populations of predatory birds, but exposure rates and population impacts are known only from regional studies. We evaluated the lead exposure of 1210 bald and golden eagles from 38 US states across North America, including 620 live eagles. We detected unexpectedly high frequencies of lead poisoning of eagles, both chronic (46 to 47% of bald and golden eagles, as
Authors
Vincent A. Slabe, James T. Anderson, Brian A. Millsap, Jeffrey L. Cooper, Alan R. Harmata, Marco Restani, Ross H. Crandall, Barbara Bodenstein, Peter H. Bloom, Travis L. Booms, John Buchweitz, Renee C. E. Culver, Kim Dickerson, Robert Domenech, Ernesto Dominguez-Villegas, Daniel Driscoll, Brian W. Smith, Michael J. Lockhart, David McRuer, Tricia A. Miller, Patricia Ortiz, Krysta Rogers, Matt Schwarz, Natalie Turley, Brian Woodbridge, Myra E. Finkelstein, Christian A. Triana, Christopher R. DeSorbo, Todd E. Katzner
Acute oral toxicity and tissue residues of saxitoxin in the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Since 2014, widespread, annual mortality events involving multiple species of seabirds have occurred in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Chukchi Sea. Among these die-offs, emaciation was a common finding with starvation often identified as the cause of death. However, saxitoxin (STX) was detected in many carcasses, indicating exposure of these seabirds to STX in the marine environment. Few data
Authors
Robert J. Dusek, Matthew M. Smith, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Sherwood Hall, Clark D. Ridge, Ransome Hardison, Robert Kaler, Barbara Bodenstein, Erik K. Hofmeister, Jeffrey S. Hall
Domoic acid and saxitoxin in seabirds in the United States between 2007 and 2018
As harmful algal blooms (HABs) increase in magnitude and duration worldwide, they are becoming an expanding threat to marine wildlife. Over the past decade, blooms of algae that produce the neurotoxins domoic acid (DA) and saxitoxin (STX) and documented concurrent seabird mortality events have increased bicoastally in the United States. We conducted a retrospective analysis of HAB related mortalit
Authors
Corinne Gibble, Raphael Kudela, Susan Knowles, Barbara Bodenstein, Kathi Lefebvre
Quarterly wildlife mortality report January 2021
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) Quarterly Mortality Report provides brief summaries of epizootic mortality and morbidity events by quarter. The write-ups, highlighting epizootic events and other wildlife disease topics of interest, are published in the Wildlife Disease Association quarterly newsletter. A link is provided in this WDA newsletter to the Wildlife Health Information Sha
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Daniel A. Grear, Hon S. Ip, Anne Ballmann, Julia S. Lankton, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler
Quarterly wildlife mortality report July 2020
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) Quarterly Mortality Report provides brief summaries of epizootic mortality and morbidity events by quarter. The write-ups, highlighting epizootic events and other wildlife disease topics of interest, are published in the Wildlife Disease Association quarterly newsletter. A link is provided in this WDA newsletter to the Wildlife Health Information Sha
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Anne Ballmann, Barbara Bodenstein, Robert J. Dusek, Jonathan M. Sleeman
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 Gulf of Al
Authors
John F. Piatt, Julia K. Parrish, Heather M. Renner, Sarah K. Schoen, Timothy Jones, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Kathy J. Kuletz, Barbara 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
Detection of Bisgaard taxon 40 in Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) with pneumonia and septicemia from a mortality event in Washington, USA
We isolated Bisgaard taxon 40 from Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) with pneumonia and septicemia from Washington, US, found dead in 2016. Previously isolated only from the respiratory tract of a gull (Laridae), little is known about its pathogenic potential and whether it acts as a primary or opportunistic pathogen.
Authors
Susan Knowles, Barbara Bodenstein, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Susan M Thomas, Scott F Pearson, Jeffrey M. Lorch
USGS-NWHC Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report - January 2019
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) Quarterly Mortality Report provides brief summaries of epizootic mortality and morbidity events by quarter. The write-ups, highlighting epizootic events and other wildlife disease topics of interest, are published in the Wildlife Disease Association quarterly newsletter. A link is provided in this WDA newsletter to the Wildlife Health Information Sha
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Robert J. Dusek, Tonie E. Rocke, Katherine L. D. Richgels
USGS-NWHC Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report - July 2018
No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Anne Ballmann, Michelle St. Martin
USGS-NWHC Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report- April 2018
No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Anne Ballmann, C. LeAnn White
Non-USGS Publications**
Dubey, J.P., Sundar, N., Nolden, C.A., Samuel, M.D., Velmurgan, G.V., Bandini, L., Kwok, O.C., Bodenstein, B., Su, C. 2007. Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from raccoons (Procyon lotor), coyotes (Canis latrans ), and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in Wisconsin identified several atypical genotypes. Journal of Parasitology. 93:1524-1527
Strom SM, Patnode KA, Langenberg JA, Bodenstein BL, Scheuhammer AM. 2005. Lead contamination in American woodcock (Scolopax minor) from Wisconsin. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 49(3):396-402.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Science
Winter Eagle Deaths at Great Salt Lake due to West Nile Virus
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) diagnosed West Nile Virus (WNV) in numerous eared grebes and bald eagles that died in a 2013 mortality event in the Great Salt Lake (GSL). Diagnoses were based on findings during pathological analysis to determine cause of death, including molecular detection of WNV genetic material in tissues, and isolation of WNV from multiple tissues from each... - Data
USGS National Wildlife Health Center necropsy and contaminant results for bald and golden eagles collected in 8 States from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2017 to determine cause of illness/death and lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticide exp
The U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) measured environmental contaminants in bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) to evaluate dietary exposure to lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticides (AR), which was identified by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a priority issue of concern for the Mountain Prairie Region 6. CarcaUSGS National Wildlife Health Center necropsy results to determine cause of illness/death for seabirds collected in Alaska from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2021
Summary of Bering and Chukchi Seas seabird necropsies, 2017-2021. More than 14,000 dead seabirds were reported and a total of 117 carcasses were examined. 92 cases had emaciation identified as the Cause Of Death (COD), seven cases where COD was undetermined, and 17 cases where COD was determined as "Other", which included predation, trauma, encephalitis, peritonitis, and bacterial infection. Low PLead (Pb) in Bald and Golden Eagles from 38 United States, USA, 2010-2018
We evaluated lead poisoning in bald and golden eagles during all seasons of the year and from states in each of the four major flyways throughout the continental USA.Dataset: Acute oral toxicity and tissue residues of saxitoxin in the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
This data set is composed of data collected from an experimental study inoculating mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) with Saxitoxin and associated control ducks. Data includes the specific of inoculation, observational behavioral data, daily weights, dosing, results of inoculation, testing of samples collected throughout the study, and necropsy results.Domoic acid and saxitoxin in seabirds from California and Rhode Island 2015-2017
As harmful algal blooms (HABs) increase in magnitude and duration worldwide, they are becoming an expanding threat to marine wildlife. Over the past decade, domoic acid (DA) and saxitoxin (STX) have been increasingly problematic bicoastally in the United States. We investigated pooled seabird mortality data from opportunistic sampling events between 2007-2018, across three states, to examine the pData release for Investigation of a largescale common murre (Uria aalge) mortality event in California in 2015
During 2015, beachcast bird survey programs (Beach Watch and BeachCOMBERS) reported higher than average deposition of common murres (Uria aalge) on central and northern California beaches from August through December. Increased common murre mortality was not reported for southern California beaches. International Bird Rescue (IBR) located in Fairfield, CA and other coastal wildlife rehabilitationOccurrence of Chlamydia sp in apparently healthy birds associated with a mortality event caused by chlamydiosis: Data
hese data sets are is a compilation of bird and environmental samples obtained from 6 sites in Maricopa County, Arizona on the dates shown. Sites were only visited and sampled if they had Rosy-cheeked lovebirds coming to bird feeders at the location and with the permission of the property owner. Two swab samples were obtained from each captured bird and 3 swab samples were collected from the envir - Publications
Filter Total Items: 43
Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagle) and Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle) mortality and exposure to lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticides in eight western and midwestern States, 2014–17
The U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center measured environmental contaminants in Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagles) and Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagles) to evaluate dietary exposure to lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticides (AR), all of which were identified by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a priority issue of concern for Mountain Prairie Region 6. Data were neededAuthorsBarbara L. Bodenstein, Julia S. Lankton, Robin E. Russell, Matthew S. SchwarzPartnering in search of answers: Seabird die-offs in the Bering and Chukchi Seas
Prior to 2015, seabird die-offs in Alaskan waters were rare; they typically occurred in mid-winter, linked to epizootic disease events or above-average ocean temperatures associated with strong El Nino-Southern Oscillation events (Bodenstein et al. 2015, Jones et al. 2019, Romano et al. 2020). Since 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has monitored mortality events that have become anAuthorsRobb A. S. Kaler, Gay Sheffield, S Backensto, Jackie Lindsey, T. Jones, J. Parrish, B Ahmasuk, Barbara Bodenstein, Robert J. Dusek, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Matthew M. Smith, P SchwalenbergDemographic implications of lead poisoning for eagles across North America
Lead poisoning occurs worldwide in populations of predatory birds, but exposure rates and population impacts are known only from regional studies. We evaluated the lead exposure of 1210 bald and golden eagles from 38 US states across North America, including 620 live eagles. We detected unexpectedly high frequencies of lead poisoning of eagles, both chronic (46 to 47% of bald and golden eagles, asAuthorsVincent A. Slabe, James T. Anderson, Brian A. Millsap, Jeffrey L. Cooper, Alan R. Harmata, Marco Restani, Ross H. Crandall, Barbara Bodenstein, Peter H. Bloom, Travis L. Booms, John Buchweitz, Renee C. E. Culver, Kim Dickerson, Robert Domenech, Ernesto Dominguez-Villegas, Daniel Driscoll, Brian W. Smith, Michael J. Lockhart, David McRuer, Tricia A. Miller, Patricia Ortiz, Krysta Rogers, Matt Schwarz, Natalie Turley, Brian Woodbridge, Myra E. Finkelstein, Christian A. Triana, Christopher R. DeSorbo, Todd E. KatznerAcute oral toxicity and tissue residues of saxitoxin in the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Since 2014, widespread, annual mortality events involving multiple species of seabirds have occurred in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Chukchi Sea. Among these die-offs, emaciation was a common finding with starvation often identified as the cause of death. However, saxitoxin (STX) was detected in many carcasses, indicating exposure of these seabirds to STX in the marine environment. Few dataAuthorsRobert J. Dusek, Matthew M. Smith, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Sherwood Hall, Clark D. Ridge, Ransome Hardison, Robert Kaler, Barbara Bodenstein, Erik K. Hofmeister, Jeffrey S. HallDomoic acid and saxitoxin in seabirds in the United States between 2007 and 2018
As harmful algal blooms (HABs) increase in magnitude and duration worldwide, they are becoming an expanding threat to marine wildlife. Over the past decade, blooms of algae that produce the neurotoxins domoic acid (DA) and saxitoxin (STX) and documented concurrent seabird mortality events have increased bicoastally in the United States. We conducted a retrospective analysis of HAB related mortalitAuthorsCorinne Gibble, Raphael Kudela, Susan Knowles, Barbara Bodenstein, Kathi LefebvreQuarterly wildlife mortality report January 2021
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) Quarterly Mortality Report provides brief summaries of epizootic mortality and morbidity events by quarter. The write-ups, highlighting epizootic events and other wildlife disease topics of interest, are published in the Wildlife Disease Association quarterly newsletter. A link is provided in this WDA newsletter to the Wildlife Health Information ShaAuthorsBryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Daniel A. Grear, Hon S. Ip, Anne Ballmann, Julia S. Lankton, Valerie I. Shearn-BochslerQuarterly wildlife mortality report July 2020
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) Quarterly Mortality Report provides brief summaries of epizootic mortality and morbidity events by quarter. The write-ups, highlighting epizootic events and other wildlife disease topics of interest, are published in the Wildlife Disease Association quarterly newsletter. A link is provided in this WDA newsletter to the Wildlife Health Information ShaAuthorsBryan J. Richards, Anne Ballmann, Barbara Bodenstein, Robert J. Dusek, Jonathan M. SleemanExtreme 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 Gulf of AlAuthorsJohn F. Piatt, Julia K. Parrish, Heather M. Renner, Sarah K. Schoen, Timothy Jones, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Kathy J. Kuletz, Barbara 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. SydemanDetection of Bisgaard taxon 40 in Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) with pneumonia and septicemia from a mortality event in Washington, USA
We isolated Bisgaard taxon 40 from Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) with pneumonia and septicemia from Washington, US, found dead in 2016. Previously isolated only from the respiratory tract of a gull (Laridae), little is known about its pathogenic potential and whether it acts as a primary or opportunistic pathogen.AuthorsSusan Knowles, Barbara Bodenstein, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Susan M Thomas, Scott F Pearson, Jeffrey M. LorchUSGS-NWHC Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report - January 2019
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) Quarterly Mortality Report provides brief summaries of epizootic mortality and morbidity events by quarter. The write-ups, highlighting epizootic events and other wildlife disease topics of interest, are published in the Wildlife Disease Association quarterly newsletter. A link is provided in this WDA newsletter to the Wildlife Health Information ShaAuthorsBryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Robert J. Dusek, Tonie E. Rocke, Katherine L. D. RichgelsUSGS-NWHC Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report - July 2018
No abstract available.AuthorsBryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Anne Ballmann, Michelle St. MartinUSGS-NWHC Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report- April 2018
No abstract available.AuthorsBryan J. Richards, Barbara Bodenstein, Anne Ballmann, C. LeAnn WhiteNon-USGS Publications**
Dubey, J.P., Sundar, N., Nolden, C.A., Samuel, M.D., Velmurgan, G.V., Bandini, L., Kwok, O.C., Bodenstein, B., Su, C. 2007. Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from raccoons (Procyon lotor), coyotes (Canis latrans ), and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in Wisconsin identified several atypical genotypes. Journal of Parasitology. 93:1524-1527Strom SM, Patnode KA, Langenberg JA, Bodenstein BL, Scheuhammer AM. 2005. Lead contamination in American woodcock (Scolopax minor) from Wisconsin. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 49(3):396-402.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government