David Blehert is Chief of the National Wildlife Health Center's Laboratory Sciences Branch
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 Laboratory Sciences 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.
Professional Experience
2014 to present, Chief, Laboratory Sciences Branch, 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
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1999
B.S. Biology, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis St. Paul, 1993
Affiliations and Memberships*
Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology. Elected in February, 2020.
Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. CIFAR Program Fungal Kingdom: Threats and Opportunities. Elected in June, 2019.
Honorary Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiological Sciences. 2003-2018.
Member, Wildlife Disease Association. 2006-present.
Member, American Society for Microbiology. 1995-present.
Science and Products
Avian Influenza Surveillance
Tracking Bats and Coronaviruses
Enhanced Capacity for Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Certified Diagnostics at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Transforming Biosurveillance by Standardizing and Serving 40 Years of Wildlife Disease Data
Avian Influenza
Diagnostic Services
White-Nose Syndrome
USGS Scientists Receive Award for Pioneering Work on White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
Pseudogymnoascus destructans survival at elevated temperatures - Artificial media count data
Experimental infection of Tadarida brasiliensis with the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome: hibernation data
Determinants of Pseudogymnoascus destructans within bat hibernacula: data
SARS-CoV-2 utilization of ACE2 from different bat species allows for virus entry and replication in vitro
Community for data integration 2019 project report
Environmental transmission of Pseudogymnoascus destructans to hibernating little brown bats
The future of fungi: Threats and opportunities
Avian-associated Aspergillus fumigatus displays broad phylogenetic distribution, no evidence for host specificity, and multiple genotypes within epizootic events
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium from wild birds in the United States represent distinct lineages defined by bird type
Low occurrence of multi-antimicrobial and heavy metal resistance in Salmonella enterica from wild birds in the United States
An opportunistic survey reveals an unexpected coronavirus diversity hotspot in North America
Mycobiome traits associated with disease tolerance predict many western North American bat species will be susceptible to white-nose syndrome
Analysis of archival specimens confirms White-nose syndrome in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from New York, USA, in spring 2007
Laboratory maintenance and culture of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes bat white-nose syndrome
Skin fungal assemblages of bats vary based on susceptibility to white-nose syndrome
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Avian Influenza Surveillance
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) conducts surveillance in wild birds to facilitate early detection and situational awareness for high consequence pathogens, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses.Tracking Bats and Coronaviruses
Below are the USGS 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) research projects related to tracking bats and coronaviruses. Select tabs above for related items.Enhanced Capacity for Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Certified Diagnostics at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal disease that impacts populations of deer, elk, moose, and other cervid species caused by an infectious protein called a prion.Transforming Biosurveillance by Standardizing and Serving 40 Years of Wildlife Disease Data
Over the past 40 years the National Wildlife Health center has collected wildlife health information from around the U.S. and beyond, amassing the world’s largest repository of wildlife-disease surveillance data. This project identified, characterized, and documented NWHC’s locally stored wildlife health datasets, a critical first step to migrating them to new laboratory- and public-facing data sAvian 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.Diagnostic Services
The USGS 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.White-Nose Syndrome
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern across United States at an alarming rate.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. - Data
Pseudogymnoascus destructans survival at elevated temperatures - Artificial media count data
The survival of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) was evaluated at temperatures outside of its thermal range of growth on three different artificial growth media; Sabouraud dextrose agar (SD), brain-heart infusion agar (BHI), and brain-heart infusion agar supplemented with 10% sheep red blood cells (BHI+B). Pd was harvested from starting cultures grown of MEA agar at 7?C for 60 days. Harvested conExperimental infection of Tadarida brasiliensis with the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome: hibernation data
This dataset includes skin temperatures of twelve Tadarida brasiliensis held in environmental chambers maintained at 7.7 (SD 0.9) degrees C and 91.8 (SD 0.8) % relative humidity to induce and support hibernation for up to 3 months. Bats were randomly assigned to infected and control groups at the start of the experiment and infected with conidia of Pseudogymnoascus destructans or a sham treatmentDeterminants of Pseudogymnoascus destructans within bat hibernacula: data
This dataset includes data used to summarize trends and identify best-fit models to explain patterns in presence-absence and abundance of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) in environmental substrates and on bats within six bat hibernacula at different stages of white-nose syndrome (WNS). Data relating to environmental substrates include: dates and relative spatial locations of samples collected wi - Publications
Filter Total Items: 71
SARS-CoV-2 utilization of ACE2 from different bat species allows for virus entry and replication in vitro
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is believed to have a zoonotic origin with bats suspected as a natural host. In this work, we individually express the ACE2 of seven bat species including, little brown, great roundleaf, Pearson's horseshoe, greater horseshoe, Brazilian free-tailed, Egyptian rousette, and Chinese rufous horseshoe in DF1 cells and determine their abilityAuthorsKelsey Briggs, Ryan Sweeney, David S. Blehert, Erica Spackman, David L. Suarez, Darrel KapczynskiCommunity for data integration 2019 project report
The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually supports small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 14 projects supported in fiscal year 2019 and outlines their goals, activities, and accomplishments. Proposals in 2019 were encouraged to addreAuthorsAmanda N. Liford, Caitlin M. Andrews, Aparna Bamzai, Joseph A. Bard, David S. Blehert, John B. Bradford, Wesley M. Daniel, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Frank Engel, Jason A. Ferrante, Amy K. Gilmer, Margaret E. Hunter, Jeanne M. Jones, Benjamin Letcher, Frances L. Lightsom, Richard R. McDonald, Leah E. Morgan, Sasha C. Reed, Leslie HsuByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI), Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Volcano Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Science Data ManagementEnvironmental transmission of Pseudogymnoascus destructans to hibernating little brown bats
Pathogens with persistent environmental stages can have devastating effects on wildlife communities. White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused widespread declines in bat populations of North America. In 2009, during the early stages of the WNS investigation and before molecular techniques had been developed to readily detect P. destructans in environmAuthorsAlan C. Hicks, Scott Darling, Joel Flewelling, Ryan von Linden, Carol Meteyer, Dave Redell, J. Paul White, Jennifer A. Redell, Ryan Smith, David S. Blehert, Noelle L. Rayman-Metcalf, Joseph R. Hoyt, Joseph C. Okoniewski, Kate E. LangwigThe future of fungi: Threats and opportunities
The fungal kingdom represents an extraordinary diversity of organisms with profound impacts across animal, plant, and ecosystem health. Fungi simultaneously support life, by forming beneficial symbioses with plants and producing life-saving medicines, and bring death, by causing devastating diseases in humans, plants, and animals. With climate change, increased antimicrobial resistance, global traAuthorsNicola T. Case, Judith Berman, David S. Blehert, Robert A. Cramer, Christina A. Cuomo, Cameron R. Currie, Iuliana V. Ene, Matthew C. Fisher, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin, Aleeza C. Gerstein, N. Louise Glass, Neil A. R. Gow, Sarah J. Gurr, Chris Todd Hittinger, Tobias M. Hohl, Iliyan D. Iliev, Timothy Y. James, Hailing Jin, Bruce S. Klein, James W. Kronstad, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Victoria McGovern, Aaron P. Mitchell, Julia A. Segre, Rebecca S. Shapiro, Donald C. Sheppard, Anita Sil, Jason E. Stajich, Eva E. Stukenbrock, John W. Taylor, Dawn Thompson, Gerard D. Wright, Joseph Heitman, Leah E. CowenAvian-associated Aspergillus fumigatus displays broad phylogenetic distribution, no evidence for host specificity, and multiple genotypes within epizootic events
Birds are highly susceptible to aspergillosis, which can manifest as a primary infection in both domestic and wild birds. Aspergillosis in wild birds causes mortalities ranging in scale from single animals to large-scale epizootic events. However, pathogenicity factors associated with aspergillosis in wild birds have not been examined. Specifically, it is unknown whether wild bird-infecting strainAuthorsLotus A. Lofgren, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Robert A. Cramer, David S. Blehert, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Megan Winzeler, Cecilia Gutierrez-Perez, Nicole E. Kordana, Jason E. StajichSalmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium from wild birds in the United States represent distinct lineages defined by bird type
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is typically considered a host generalist; however, certain isolates are associated with specific hosts and show genetic features of host adaptation. Here, we sequenced 131 S. Typhimurium isolates from wild birds collected in 30 U.S. states during 1978-2019. We found that isolates from broad taxonomic host groups including passerine birds, water birds (AequoAuthorsYezhi Fu, Nkuchia M. M’ikanatha, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Chris A. Whitehouse, Shaoting Li, Xiangyu Deng, Jared C. Smith, Nikki W. Shariat, Erin M. Nawrocki, Edward G. DudleyLow occurrence of multi-antimicrobial and heavy metal resistance in Salmonella enterica from wild birds in the United States
Wild birds are common reservoirs of Salmonella enterica. Wild birds carrying resistant S. enterica may pose a risk to public health as they can spread the resistant bacteria across large spatial scales within a short time. Here, we whole-genome sequenced 375 S. enterica strains from wild birds collected in 41 U.S. states during 1978–2019 to examine bacterial resistance to antibiotics and heavy metAuthorsYezhi Fu, Nkuchia M M’ikanatha, Chris A Whitehouse, Heather Tate, Andrea Ottensen, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Edward G. DudleyAn opportunistic survey reveals an unexpected coronavirus diversity hotspot in North America
In summer 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected on mink farms in Utah. An interagency One Health response was initiated to assess the extent of the outbreak and included sampling animals from on or near affected mink farms and testing them for SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS coronaviruses. Among the 365 animals sampled, including domestic cats, mink, rodents, raccAuthorsHon S. Ip, Kathryn M. Griffin, Jeffrey D. Messer, Megan Winzeler, Susan A. Shriner, Mary Lea Killian, Mia K. Torchetti, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Brian R. Amman, Caitlin M. Cossaboom, R. Reid Harvey, Natalie M. Wendling, Hannah Rettler, Dean Taylor, Jonathan S. Towner, Casey Barton Behravesh, David S. BlehertMycobiome traits associated with disease tolerance predict many western North American bat species will be susceptible to white-nose syndrome
White-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that has caused catastrophic population declines of bats in eastern North America, is rapidly spreading across the continent and now threatens previously unexposed bat species in western North America. The causal agent of WNS, the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, can infect many species of hibernating bats, but susceptibility to WNS varies by host spAuthorsKaren J Vanderwolf, Lewis J. Campbell, Daniel R. Taylor, Tony L. Goldberg, David S. Blehert, Jeffrey M. LorchAnalysis of archival specimens confirms White-nose syndrome in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from New York, USA, in spring 2007
White-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging fungal disease of North American bats, was first diagnosed in January 2008, although mortality and photo-documentation suggest the disease may have been present earlier. Using archived samples, we describe a definitive case of WNS in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from New York, USA, in spring 2007.AuthorsSaskia Keller, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Anne Ballmann, David S. BlehertLaboratory maintenance and culture of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes bat white-nose syndrome
Pseudogymnoascus destructans is a fungal pathogen that causes white‐nose syndrome, an emerging and fatal disease of North American bats that has led to unprecedented population declines. As a psychrophile, P. destructans is adapted to infect bats during winter hibernation, when host metabolic activity and core body temperature are greatly reduced. The ability to maintain and cultivate isolates ofAuthorsDavid S. Blehert, Jeffrey M. LorchSkin fungal assemblages of bats vary based on susceptibility to white-nose syndrome
Microbial skin assemblages, including fungal communities, can influence host resistance to infectious diseases. The diversity-invasibility hypothesis predicts that high-diversity communities are less easily invaded than species-poor communities, and thus diverse microbial communities may prevent pathogens from colonizing a host. To explore the hypothesis that host fungal communities mediate resistAuthorsKaren J Vanderwolf, Lewis Campbell, Tony L. Goldberg, David S. Blehert, Jeffrey M. LorchNon-USGS Publications**
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.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.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.**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.
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*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