Daniel Walsh
Biography
Daniel Walsh is a Quantitative Ecologist at the National Wildlife Health Center. Since joining the USGS in 2011, his research has focused on developing and applying quantitative approaches to understanding and managing wildlife disease processes. He has conducted applied research on a wide array of diseases including bighorn sheep respiratory disease, chronic wasting disease, Newcastle Disease, and Avian Influenza. He also conducts capacity building in wildlife disease management for countries throughout the world in collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Education
- Ph. D. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 2007
- M. S. Statistics Michigan State University, 2007
- M. S. Fish and Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University, 2002
- B. S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 1999
Professional Experience
- 2011 – Present Quantitative Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison WI
- 2007 – 2011 Disease Researcher, Colorado Division of Wildlife
- 2003 – 2007 Research Assistant-Michigan State University
- 2000 – 2002 Research Assistant-Colorado State University
Affiliations
- Honorary Fellow, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Affiliate Faculty, South Dakota State University
- Member of the Wildlife Disease Association
- Member of the Wildlife Society
- Member of the North Central Section of the Wildlife Society
- Member of Wisconsin Chapter of the Wildlife Society
Science and Products
Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging infectious disease that is fatal to free-ranging and captive animals in Cervidae, the deer family. CWD is one member of a family of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), and is thought to be caused by prions. CWD is the only TSE known to affect free-ranging wildlife.
Avian Influenza
Avian influenza is a viral disease caused by various strains of avian influenza viruses that can be classified as low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) or highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). It remains a global disease with potential high consequence with the potential to threaten wildlife, agriculture, and human health.
Disease Ecology and Modeling
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) provides quantitative support and technical assistance to state and federal wildlife managers and partners to better understand or predict the impact of disease on wildlife populations.
Space matters: Host spatial structure and the dynamics of plague transmission
The development of models to elucidate the transmission pathways and dynamics of wildlife diseases remains challenging. Sylvatic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (Yp), is an infectious zoonotic disease that primarily affects wild rodents, including prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in North America. Proposed transmission...
Russell, Robin E.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Samuel, Michael D.; Grunnill, Martin S.; Rocke, Tonie E.An ecological and conservation perspective
Natural ecosystems are facing unprecedented threats which directly threaten human well-being through decreases in critical ecosystem services (IPBES 2019). The top five drivers causing the largest global impacts to biodiversity and ecosystem services include: 1) changes in land and sea use; 2) direct exploitation of organisms; 3) climate change; 4...
White, C. LeAnn; Lankton, Julia S.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Sleeman, Jonathan M.; Stephen, CraigImproving the accessibility and transferability of machine learning algorithms for identification of animals in camera trap images: MLWIC2
Motion‐activated wildlife cameras (or “camera traps”) are frequently used to remotely and noninvasively observe animals. The vast number of images collected from camera trap projects has prompted some biologists to employ machine learning algorithms to automatically recognize species in these images, or at least filter‐out images that do not...
Tabak, Michael A.; Norouzzadeh, Mohammad S.; Wolfson, David W.; Newton, Erica J.; Boughton, Raoul K.; Ivan, Jacob S.; Odell, Eric; Newkirk, Eric S.; Conrey, Reesa Y.; Stenglein, Jennifer L.; Iannarilli, Fabiola; Erb, John; Brook, Ryan K.; Davis, Amy J.; Lewis, Jesse S.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Beasley, James C; Vercauteren, Kurt C.; Clune, Jeff; Miller, Ryan S.Assessing the risks posed by SARS-CoV-2 in and via North American bats—Decision framing and rapid risk assessment
The novel β-coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, may pose a threat to North American bat populations if bats are exposed to the virus through interaction with humans, if the virus can subsequently infect bats and be transmitted among them, and if the virus causes morbidity or mortality in bats. Further, if SARS-CoV-2 became established in bat populations, it...
Runge, Michael C.; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Coleman, Jeremy T. H.; Reichard, Jonathan D.; Gibbs, Samantha E. J.; Cryan, Paul M.; Olival, Kevin J.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Blehert, David S.; Hopkins, M. Camille; Sleeman, Jonathan M.Removal of chronic Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae carrier ewes eliminates pneumonia in a bighorn sheep population
Chronic pathogen carriage is one mechanism that allows diseases to persist in populations. We hypothesized that persistent or recurrent pneumonia in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis ) populations may be caused by chronic carriers of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Mo ). Our experimental approach allowed us to address a conservation...
Garwood, Tyler; Lehman, Chadwick P.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Cassirer, E. Frances; Besser, Thomas E.; Jenks, Jonathan A.Chronic wasting disease—Research by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners
IntroductionChronic wasting disease (CWD) is the only transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, a class of invariably fatal neurodegenerative mammalian diseases associated with a misfolded cellular prion protein found in wild free-ranging animals. Because it has a long incubation period, affected animals in Cervidae (the deer family; referred to as...
Hopkins, M. Camille; Carlson, Christina M.; Cross, Paul C.; Johnson, Christopher J.; Richards, Bryan J.; Russell, Robin E.; Samuel, Michael D.; Sargeant, Glen A.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Walter, W. DavidArtificial intelligence and avian influenza: Using machine learning to enhance active surveillance for avian influenza viruses
Influenza A viruses are one of the most significant viral groups globally with substantial impacts on human, domestic animal and wildlife health. Wild birds are the natural reservoirs for these viruses, and active surveillance within wild bird populations provides critical information about viral evolution forming the basis of risk assessments and...
Walsh, Daniel P.; Ma, Ting Fung; Ip, Hon S.; Zhu, JunPredicting the initial spread of novel Asian origin influenza A viruses in the continental USA by wild waterfowl
Using data on waterfowl band recoveries, we identified spatially explicit hotspots of concentrated waterfowl movement to predict occurrence and spatial spread of a novel influenza A virus (clade 2.3.4.4) introduced from Asia by waterfowl from an initial outbreak in North America in November 2014. In response to the outbreak, the hotspots of...
Franklin, Alan B.; Bevins, Sarah N.; Ellis, Jeremy W.; Miller, Ryan S.; Shriner, Susan A.; Root, J. Jeffrey; Walsh, Daniel P.; DeLiberto, Thomas J.Challenges and opportunities developing mathematical models of shared pathogens of domestic and wild animals
Diseases that affect both wild and domestic animals can be particularly difficult to prevent, predict, mitigate, and control. Such multi-host diseases can have devastating economic impacts on domestic animal producers and can present significant challenges to wildlife populations, particularly for populations of conservation concern. Few...
Huyvaert, Kathryn P.; Russell, Robin E.; Patyk, Kelly A.; Craft, Meggan E.; Cross, Paul C.; Garner, M. Graeme; Martin, Michael K.; Nol, Pauline; Walsh, Daniel P.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...
Jennelle, Christopher S.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Samuel, Michael D.; Osnas, Erik; Rolley, Robert E.; Langenberg, Julia A.; Powers, Jenny G.; Monello, Ryan J.; Demarest, E. David; Gubler, Rolf; Heisey, Dennis M.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...
Lukacs, Paul M.; Mitchell, Michael S.; Hebblewhite, Mark; Johnson, Bruce K.; Johnson, Heather E.; Kauffman, Matthew J.; Proffitt, Kelly M.; Zager, Peter; Brodie, Jedediah; Hersey, Kent; Holland, A. Andrew; Hurley, Mark; McCorquodale, Scott; Middleton, Arthur; Nordhagen, Matthew; Nowak, J. Joshua; Walsh, Daniel P.; White, P.J.Chronic wasting disease—Status, science, and management support by the U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigates chronic wasting disease (CWD) at multiple science centers and cooperative research units across the Nation and supports the management of CWD through science-based strategies. CWD research conducted by USGS scientists has three strategies: (1) to understand the biology, ecology, and causes and...
Carlson, Christina M.; Hopkins, M. Camille ; Nguyen, Natalie T.; Richards, Bryan J.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Walter, W. David