Rickard, A.H., R.J. Palmer, Jr., D.S. Blehert, S.R. Campagna, M.F. Semmelhack, P.G. Egland, B.L. Bassler, and P.E. Kolenbrander. 2006. Autoinducer 2: a concentration-dependent signal for mutualistic bacterial biofilm growth. Molecular Microbiology 60: 1446-1456.
David S Blehert
Biography
David Blehert received a Ph.D. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1999, and he joined the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) as a Diagnostic and Research Microbiologist in 2003. His research focuses on investigation of the ecology and pathobiology of bat white-nose syndrome. Today, Dr. Blehert is Chief of the NWHC's Wildlife Disease Diagnostic Laboratories Branch, which specializes in the investigation of unusual mortality events impacting our nation's wildlife. His laboratories also conduct surveillance for animal diseases of high consequence, such as white-nose syndrome in bats and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in wild waterfowl.
Education
- Ph.D. Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1999
- B.S. Biology, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis St. Paul, 1993
Professional Experience
- 2014 to present, Branch Chief, Wildlife Disease Diagnostic Laboratories, U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin
- 2003-2014, Diagnostic and Research Microbiologist, U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin
- 1999 to 2003, Intramural Research Training Associate Fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
Affiliations
- 2003 to present, Honorary Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiological Sciences
Science and Products
Date published: July 24, 2018
Status: Active 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.
Date published: July 24, 2018
Status: Active Avian Influenza Surveillance
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) serves on the U.S. Interagency Steering Committee for Surveillance for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds to standardize surveillance for this disease and is a leading partner in conducting morbidity and mortality investigations in support of the Interagency Strategic Plan for Early Detection and Monitoring for Avian Influenzas of...
Date published: March 29, 2018
Status: Active Diagnostic Services
The Wildlife Disease Diagnostic Laboratories Branch of the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) conducts laboratory investigations to determine the causes of wildlife mortality events, especially large-scale die-offs or those that are otherwise unusual.
Contacts: David S Blehert
Date published: March 29, 2018
Status: Active Necropsy & Pathology
The Necropsy and Pathology capabilities are performed by diagnostic veterinary pathologists and necropsy technical staff whose principal role is to determine the cause of death for animals submitted to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC). These scientists examine carcasses to verify species and condition, collect and process photographic and radiographic images, conduct detailed...
Date published: February 1, 2018
Status: Active White-Nose Syndrome
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in 33 states and seven Canadian provinces (as of August 2018)...
Date published: September 19, 2017
Status: Completed USGS Scientists Receive Award for Pioneering Work on White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
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.
Attribution: Environmental Health, Contaminant Biology Program
Year Published: 2019
Response to “Prepublication communication of research results”: The need for a coordinated wildlife disease surveillance laboratory network
In “Prepublication Communication of Research Results”, Adams et al. (2018) outline the importance of timeliness in providing scientific results with consequential implications for wildlife management to responsible government agencies. The authors discuss various impediments to sharing of scientific results and provide well-reasoned arguments why...
Sleeman, Jonathan M.; Blehert, David S.; Richgels, Katherine L. D.; White, C. LeAnnAttribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Experimental infection of Tadarida brasiliensis with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is causing significant declines in populations of North American hibernating bats, and recent western and southern expansions of the disease have placed additional species at risk. Understanding differences in species susceptibility and identifying management actions to reduce mortality of bats from WNS are top research...
Verant, Michelle; Meteyer, Carol U.; Stading, Benjamin; Blehert, David S.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Verant ML, Meteyer CU, Stading B, Blehert DS. 2018. Experimental infection of Tadarida brasiliensis with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome. mSphere 3:e00250-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00250-18
Year Published: 2018
Determinants of Pseudogymnoascus destructans within bat hibernacula: Implications for surveillance and management of white-nose syndrome
Fungal diseases are an emerging global problem affecting human health, food security and biodiversity. Ability of many fungal pathogens to persist within environmental reservoirs can increase extinction risks for host species and presents challenges for disease control. Understanding factors that regulate pathogen spread and persistence in these...
Verant, Michelle L.; Bohuski, Elizabeth A.; Richgels, Katherine L. D.; Olival, Kevin J.; Epstein, Jonathan H.; Blehert, David S.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
J Appl Ecol. 2018;1–10.
Year Published: 2018
Malassezia vespertilionis sp. nov.: A new cold-tolerant species of yeast isolated from bats
Malassezia is a genus of medically-important, lipid-dependent yeasts that live on the skin of warm-blooded animals. The 17 described species have been documented primarily on humans and domestic animals, but few studies have examined Malassezia species associated with more diverse host groups such as wildlife. While investigating...
Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Palmer, Jonathan M.; Vanderwolf, Karen J.; Schmidt, Katie Z.; Verant, Michelle L.; Weller, Theodore J.; Blehert, David S.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Malassezia vespertilionis sp. nov.: a new cold-tolerant species of yeast isolated from bats
JM Lorch, JM Palmer, KJ Vanderwolf, KZ Schmidt… - Persoonia-Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi, 2018
Year Published: 2017
Phylogenetics of a fungal invasion: Origins and widespread dispersal of white-nose syndrome
Globalization has facilitated the worldwide movement and introduction of pathogens, but epizoological reconstructions of these invasions are often hindered by limited sampling and insufficient genetic resolution among isolates. Pseudogymnoascus destructans, a fungal pathogen causing the epizootic of white-nose syndrome in North American bats...
Drees, Kevin P.; Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Puechmaille, Sebastein J.; Parise, Katy L.; Wibbelt, Gudrun; Hoyt, Joseph R.; Sun, Keping; Jargalsaikhan, Ariunbold; Dalannast, Munkhnast; Palmer, Jonathan M.; Linder, Daniel L.; Kilpatrick, Marm; Pearson, Talima; Keim, Paul S.; Blehert, David S.; Foster, Jeffrey T.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Drees, K.P., J.M. Lorch, S.J. Puechmaille, K.L. Parise, G. Wibbelt, J.R. Hoyt, K. Sun, A. Jargalsaikhan, M. Dalannast, J.M. Palmer, D.L. Lindner, A.M. Kilpatrick, T. Pearson, P.S. Keim, D.S. Blehert, J.T. Foster. 2017. Phylogenetics of a fungal invasion: Origins and widespread dispersal of white-nose syndrome. mBio 8:e01941-17. doi:10.1128/mBio.01941-17. IP 091970
Year Published: 2017
Dispersal hazards of Pseudogymnoascus destructans by bats and human activity at hibernacula in summer
Bats occupying hibernacula during summer are exposed to Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the causative agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), and may contribute to its dispersal. Furthermore, equipment and clothing exposed to cave environments are a potential source for human-assisted spread of Pd. To explore dispersal hazards for...
Ballmann, Anne; Torkelson, Miranda R.; Bohuski, Elizabeth A.; Russell, Robin E.; Blehert, David S.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Anne E. Ballmann, Miranda R. Torkelson, Elizabeth A. Bohuski, Robin E. Russell, and David S. Blehert (2017) Dispersal Hazards of Pseudogymnoascus destructans by Bats and Human Activity at Hibernacula in Summer. Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Year Published: 2017
Datasheet: Pseudogymnoascus destructans (white-nose syndrome fungus)
Pseudogymnoascus destructans is a psychrophilic (cold-loving) fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging disease of North American bats that has caused unprecedented population declines. The fungus is believed to have been introduced to North America from Europe or Asia (where it is present but does not cause significant mortality...
Blehert, David S.; Lankau, Emily W.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
CABI, 2017. Pseudogymnoascus destructans [original text by David Blehert and Emily Lankau]. In: Invasive Species Compendium.
Wallingford, UK: CAB International. http://www.cabi.org/isc.
Second URL: http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/119005
Year Published: 2017
Geomyces and Pseudogymnoascus: Emergence of a primary pathogen, the causative agent of bat white-nose syndrome: Chapter 28
Geomyces and Pseudogymnoascus (Fungi, Ascomycota, Leotiomycetes, aff. Thelebolales) are closely related groups of globally occurring soil-associated fungi. Recently, these genera of fungi have received attention because a newly identified species, Pseudogymnoascus (initially classified as Geomyces) destructans, was discovered in association with...
Verant, Michelle L.; Minnis, Andrew M.; Lindner, Daniel L.; Blehert, David S.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
The Fungal Community: Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem, Third Edition
John Dighton, James F. White. Pages 405-415.January 19, 2017 by CRC Press
4th edition 597 Pages - 72 Color & 60 B/W Illustrations
ISBN 9781498706650 - CAT# K24841
Year Published: 2016
Snake fungal disease: An emerging threat to wild snakes
Since 2006, there has been a marked increase in the number of reports of severe and often fatal fungal skin infections in wild snakes in the eastern USA. The emerging condition, referred to as snake fungal disease (SFD), was initially documented in rattlesnakes, where the infections were believed to pose a risk to the viability of affected...
Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Knowles, Susan; Lankton, Julia S.; Michell, Kathy; Edwards, Jaime L.; Kapfer, Joshua M.; Staffen, Richard A.; Wild, Erik R.; Schmidt, Katie Z.; Ballmann, Anne; Blodgett, Doug; Farrell, Terence M.; Glorioso, Brad M.; Last, Lisa A.; Price, Steven J.; Schuler, Krysten L.; Smith, Christopher; Wellehan, James F. X.; Blehert, David S.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2016
Detection of spring viraemia of carp virus in imported amphibians reveals an unanticipated foreign animal disease threat
Global translocation of plants and animals is a well-recognized mechanism for introduction of pathogens into new regions. To mitigate this risk, various tools such as preshipment health certificates, quarantines, screening for specific disease agents and outright bans have been implemented. However, such measures only target known infectious...
Ip, Hon S.; Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Blehert, David S.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Emerging Microbes & Infections (2016) 5, e97; doi:10.1038/emi.2016.94
Year Published: 2016
A pelagic outbreak of avian cholera in North American gulls: Scavenging as a primary mechanism for transmission?
Avian cholera, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, is an endemic disease globally, often causing annual epizootics in North American wild bird populations with thousands of mortalities. From December 2006 to March 2007, an avian cholera outbreak caused mortality in marine birds off the coast of Atlantic Canada, largely centered 300–400...
Wille, Michelle; McBurney, Scott; Robertson, Gregory J.; Wilhelm, Sabine; Blehert, David S.; Soos, Catherine; Dunphy, Ron; Whitney, HughAttribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Michelle Wille, Scott McBurney, Gregory J. Robertson, Sabina I. Wilhelm, David S. Blehert, Catherine Soos, Ron Dunphy, and Hugh Whitney (2016) A Pelagic Outbreak of Avian Cholera in North American Gulls: Scavenging as a Primary Mechanism for Transmission?. Journal of Wildlife Diseases In-Press.
Year Published: 2016
First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease of bats caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Since it was first detected near Albany, NY, in 2006, the fungus has spread across eastern North America, killing unprecedented numbers of hibernating bats. The devastating impacts of WNS on Nearctic bat species are attributed to the likely...
Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Palmer, Jonathan M.; Lindner, Daniel L.; Ballmann, Anne; George, Kyle; Griffin, Kathryn M.; Knowles, Susan; Huckabee, John R.; Haman, Katherine H.; Anderson, Christopher D.; Becker, Penny A.; Buchanan, Joseph B.; Foster, Jeffrey T.; Blehert, David S.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Lorch JM, Palmer JM, Lindner DL, Ballmann AE, George KG, Griffin K, Knowles S, Huckabee JR, Haman KH, Anderson CD, Becker PA, Buchanan JB, Foster JT, Blehert DS. 2016. First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America. mSphere 1(4):e00148-16. doi:10.1128/mSphere.00148-16.
Pre-USGS Publications
Orville, A. M., L. Manning, D.S. Blehert, J.M. Studts, B.W. Matthews, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 2004. Crystallization and preliminary analysis of xenobiotic reductase A and ligand complexes from Pseudomonas putida II-B. Acta Crystallographica 60: 957-961.
Orville, A. M., L. Manning, D.S. Blehert, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 2004. Crystallization and preliminary analysis of xenobiotic reductase B from Pseudomonas fluorescens I-C. Acta Crystallographica 60: 1289-1291.
Blehert, D.S., R.J. Palmer, Jr., J.B. Xavier, J.S. Almeida, and P.E. Kolenbrander. 2003. Autoinducer-2 production by Streptococcus gordonii DL1 and the biofilm phenotype of a luxS mutant are influenced by nutritional conditions. Journal of Bacteriology 185: 4851-4860.
The role of coaggregation in oral biofilm formation
Kolenbrander, P.E., R.F. Lerud, D.S. Blehert, P.G. Egland, J.S. Foster, and R.J. Palmer, Jr. 2003. The role of coaggregation in oral biofilm formation. In V. O’Flaherty, A. Moran, P. Lens and P. Stoodley (eds.), Biofilms in Medicine, Industry and Environmental Biotechnology, IWA Publishing, London, UK. p. 32-46.
Kolenbrander, P.E., R.N. Andersen, D.S. Blehert, P.G. Egland, J.S. Foster, and R.J. Palmer, Jr. 2002. Communication among oral bacteria. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 66: 486-505.
Blehert, D.S., B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 1999. Cloning and sequence analysis of two Pseudomonas flavoprotein xenobiotic reductases. Journal of Bacteriology 181: 6254-6263.
Blehert, D.S., K.L. Knoke, B.G. Fox, and G.H. Chambliss. 1997. Regioselectivity of nitroglycerin denitration by flavoprotein nitroester reductases purified from two Pseudomonas species. Journal of Bacteriology 179: 6912-6920.
Date published: October 23, 2017
Trick or Treat? The Frightening Threats to Bats
Written by Marisa Lubeck and Ethan Alpern
Date published: June 1, 2017
Alabama Survey Finds First Southeastern Bat with White-Nose Syndrome
Biologists have confirmed white-nose syndrome in the southeastern bat, or Myotis austroriparius, for the first time. The species joins eight other hibernating bat species in North America that are afflicted with the deadly bat fungal disease.
Date published: September 27, 2016
Newt News: Deadly Fish Disease Discovered in Salamanders
Attribution: Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center
Date published: March 31, 2016
Bat with white-nose syndrome confirmed in Washington state
OLYMPIA, Wash. – White-nose syndrome (WNS) has been confirmed in a little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) found near North Bend – the first recorded occurrence of this devastating bat disease in western North America. The presence of this disease was verified by the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center
Date published: May 29, 2014
Ultra-violet Light Works as Screening Tool for Bats with White-nose Syndrome.
Scientists working to understand the devastating bat disease known as white-nose syndrome (WNS) now have a new, non-lethal tool to identify bats with WNS lesions —ultraviolet, or UV, light.