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Julia S Lankton

Julia Lankton is a wildlife pathologist at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.

She attended veterinary school at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, completed her pathology residency at the University of Tennessee, and worked as clinical instructor and pathology fellow at the University of Florida and Disneyworld, before joining USGS in 2013. Her interests include environmental toxicology and the relationship between contaminants and disease in wildlife health.

Professional Experience

  • 2013-present: Wildlife Pathologist, USGS National Wildlife Health Center

  • 2012-2013: Clinical Instructor, Anatomic Pathology, University of Florida and Disney's Animal Kingdom

Education and Certifications

  • Residency, Anatomic Pathology, University of Tennessee, 2009-2012

  • DVM, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, 2009

  • BA English, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1996

Affiliations and Memberships

  • Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathologists

Science and Products

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Image: White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Application of a Systems Approach for Management of Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurologic disease of cervids that causes population declines and is increasing in intensity and spatial extent, has proven extremely difficult to manage despite intensive control efforts that have spanned several decades.
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Ecosystems, Fish & Wildlife Disease, National Wildlife Health Center
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Application of a Systems Approach for Management of Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurologic disease of cervids that causes population declines and is increasing in intensity and spatial extent, has proven extremely difficult to manage despite intensive control efforts that have spanned several decades.
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Red-winged blackbird necropsy

Necropsy & Pathology

The Necropsy and Pathology services are performed by board-certified 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.

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Necropsy & Pathology

The Necropsy and Pathology services are performed by board-certified 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.

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Digestive gland from a freshwater snail (Lymnaea stagnalis)

Pathology — Madison, Wisconsin

About the CapabilityThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with the pathology section of the Necropsy and Pathology Diagnostic Laboratory at the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) to advance an understanding of the effects of contaminant and pathogen exposure on wildlife.
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Ecosystems, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Pathology — Madison, Wisconsin

About the CapabilityThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with the pathology section of the Necropsy and Pathology Diagnostic Laboratory at the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) to advance an understanding of the effects of contaminant and pathogen exposure on wildlife.
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Filter Total Items: 16

Results of algal toxin testing from wildlife mortality submissions to the National Wildlife Health Center

This data set is composed of all animals received as a diagnostic submission to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center for which algal toxin testing was performed from November 1998 to January 2018. Birds with a histologic diagnosis of avian vacuolar myelinopathy, a disease caused by the algal toxin aetokthonotoxin, are also included. Algal toxins tested for include brevetoxin, cylindrospermopsi
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National Wildlife Health Center

Data from pathology of Lagovirus europaeus GI.2/RHDV2/b (rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2) in native North American lagomorphs

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease, a notifiable foreign animal disease in the USA, was reported for the first time in wild native North American rabbits and hares in April 2020 in the southwestern USA. Affected species included the Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), Mountain Cottontail (S. nutallii), Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), and Antelope Jackrabbit (L. alleni). Desert Cottonta
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National Wildlife Health Center

Confirmed cases of snake fungal disease in historical museum specimens

Snake fungal disease (SFD) represents a conservation threat to wild snake populations. The disease was reported in North America early in the 21st century, but the history of SFD has not been investigated. We examined museum specimens and confirmed cases of SFD based on clinical signs, histopathologic lesions, and detection of the causative agent Ophidiomyces ophidiicola. The first confirmed cases
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National Wildlife Health Center

Immunological histopathology of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) exposed to the flame retardant isopropyl triphenyl phosphate

This work is part of a study of the immunological effects of exposure to alternative flame retardants in avian species. For the pathology portion of the study, hatchling American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were exposed to the flame retardant isopropyl triphenyl phosphate (ITP) and then challenged with a synthetic analogue of viral double-stranded RNA, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C). C
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Immunological histopathology of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) exposed in ovo to two persistent organic pollutants -- SCCPs and TBBPA-BDBPE

This work is part of a study of the immunological effects of exposure to alternative flame retardants in avian species. For the pathology portion of the study, spleens and bursas from American kestrels (Falco sparverius) exposed by egg injection to varying doses of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and the flame retardant TBBPA-BDBPE were examined microscopically for architectural and cell
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Data Associated with Algal Toxin Testing of Seabirds from the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 2017

This data set is comprised of three tables with results of algal toxin screening for saxitoxin and domoic acid. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to screen seabirds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 2017.
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Alaska Science Center

Histopathology of bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) exposed to Nannizziopsis guarroi

This work is part of a study demonstrating that the fungus Nannizziopsis guarroi is the cause of the disease known as yellow fungus disease in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) by fulfilling Koch's postulates. In this study, bearded dragons were exposed to N. guarroi to assess gross and microscopic lesion development and the ability to re-culture the fungus from infected sites. At euthanasia, ski
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Ecosystems, Fish & Wildlife Disease, National Wildlife Health Center

Chemical analyses and histopathology of organisms and plants collected from breccia pipe uranium mine sites in the Grand Canyon watershed, 2015-2020

These data are comprised of measurements of aluminum, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, silver, cadmium, thallium, lead, bismuth, thorium, uranium, and mercury in invertebrates, vegetation, and small rodents. Gross alpha activity, gross beta activity, and radionuclide activities (isotopic U, isotopic Th) are also presented for vegetation; radioactivities for small
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Ecosystems, Contaminant Biology, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Diagnostic and field data from the Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane Population

Detailed data collected from the field and generated during diagnostic evaluation of whooping crane carcasses from the Eastern Migratory Population.
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Ecosystems, Fish & Wildlife Disease, National Wildlife Health Center

Histopathology of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) orally exposed to clothianidin (ver. 2.0, October 2019)

This dataset reports select histopathological changes in liver, kidney, gonad, spleen, brain, heart, skeletal muscle, lung, or adrenal gland of zebra finches exposed to 15mg/kg, 18mg/kg, 30mg/kg, 60mg/kg, 75mg/kg, 125mg/kg, or 250mg/kg clothianidin (CTD) (with controls) by gavage, in water, or on millet seed either as a single dose or for 7 days. The goal of the project is to develop a subacute ne
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Histopathology of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) exposed to brodifacoum

This dataset describes histopathological changes in liver, kidney, heart, skeletal muscle and intestine of captive American kestrels exposed to the second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide brodifacoum (BROD). The goal of the study was to determine the toxic range of brodifacoum by feeding birds a diet containing 0.3, 1.0, or 3.0 ug BROD/g wet weight. Birds were necropsied and examined grossly f
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Histopathology of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) sequentially exposed to first and second generation anticoagulant rodenticides

This dataset describes histopathological changes in liver, kidney, heart, skeletal muscle and intestine of captive American kestrels sequentially exposed to first and second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGAR and SGAR). The goal of the study was to determine the toxicity of sequential exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) by evaluating FGAR-FGAR exposure (7 day chlorophacinone expo
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center
Filter Total Items: 24

Are little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) impacted by dietary exposure to microcystin?

The cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, can produce the hepatotoxin microcystin. When toxic M. aeruginosa overwinters in the sediments of lakes, it may be ingested by aquatic insects and bioaccumulate in nymphs of Hexagenia mayflies. When volant Hexagenia emerge from lakes to reproduce, they provide an abundant, albeit temporary, food source for many terrestrial organisms including bats. Littl
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Experimental inoculation trial to determine the effects of temperature and humidity on White-nose Syndrome in hibernating bats

Disease results from interactions among the host, pathogen, and environment. Inoculation trials can quantify interactions among these players and explain aspects of disease ecology to inform management in variable and dynamic natural environments. White-nose Syndrome, a disease caused by the fungal pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), has caused severe population declines of several bat sp
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

A review of algal toxin exposures on reserved federal lands and among trust species in the United States

Associated health effects from algal toxin exposure are a growing concern for human and animal health. Algal toxin poisonings may occur from contact with or consumption of water supplies or from ingestion of contaminated animals. The U.S. Federal Government owns or holds in trust about 259 million hectares of land, in addition to the Trust species obligations. We completed the first comprehensive
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Kansas Water Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Koch’s postulates: Confirming Nannizziopsis guarroi as the cause of yellow fungal disease in Pogona vitticeps

Nannizziopsis guarroi is an ascomycete fungus associated with a necrotizing dermatitis in captive green iguanas (Iguana iguana) and bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) across both Europe and North America. Clinical signs of the disease include swelling and lesion formation. Lesions develop from white raised bumps on the skin and progress into crusty, yellow, discolored scales, eventually becoming n
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Ecosystems, Columbia Environmental Research Center, National Wildlife Health Center

Quarterly wildlife mortality report July 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
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Diplotriaena obtusa (Nematoda: Diplotriaenidae) from barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) collected during mortality events in the Upper Midwest, USA

Several mortality events involving barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) were reported in the Upper Midwestern states in 2017 and 2018. Barn swallow mortality followed unseasonal cold snaps, with the primary cause of death being emaciation with concurrent air sac nematodiasis. Lesions in cliff swallows were consistent with blunt force trauma from suspected c
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Confirmed cases of Ophidiomycosis in museum specimens from the USA as early as 1945

Ophidiomycosis represents a conservation threat to wild snake populations. The disease was reported in North America early in the 21st century, but the history of ophidiomycosis has not been investigated. We examined museum specimens and confirmed cases of ophidiomycosis >50 years before the disease’s reported emergence.
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Pathology of Lagovirus europaeus GI.2/RHDV2/b (rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2) in native North American lagomorphs

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease, a notifiable foreign animal disease in the US, was reported for the first time in wild native North American lagomorphs in April 2020 in the southwestern US. Affected species included the desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), mountain cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii), black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), and antelope jackrabbit (Lepus alleni). Desert cotto
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Investigation of algal toxins in a multispecies seabird die-off in the Bering and Chukchi seas

Between 2014 and 2017, widespread seabird mortality events were documented annually in the Bering and Chukchi seas, concurrent with dramatic reductions of sea ice, warmer than average ocean temperatures, and rapid shifts in marine ecosystems. Among other changes in the marine environment, harmful algal blooms (HABs) that produce the neurotoxins saxitoxin (STX) and domoic acid (DA) have been identi
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center, Alaska Science Center

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
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

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) pollution, and 5) invasive alien species (IPBES 2
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Ecosystems, National Wildlife Health Center

Elemental and radionuclide exposures and uptakes by small rodents, invertebrates, and vegetation at active and post-production uranium mines in the Grand Canyon watershed

The effects of breccia pipe uranium mining in the Grand Canyon watershed (Arizona) on ecological and cultural resources are largely unknown. We characterized the exposure of biota to uranium and co-occurring ore body elements during active ore production and at a site where ore production had recently concluded. Our results indicate that biota have taken up uranium and other elements (e.g., arseni
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Ecosystems, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Columbia Environmental Research Center, National Wildlife Health Center
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Pathology Case of the Month - Sandhill Crane

Case History: Approximately 30 sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) were found dead during a winter cold snap in Indiana, U.S.A. One bird was noted...

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Pathology Case of the Month - Exotic Duck

Case History: Mortality of captive exotic ducks was reported by the owner of an aviary (species and location are withheld from this report to protect...

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Pathology Case of the Month - Eastern Gray Squirrels

Case History: Six eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) were found dead below a tree in a residential yard in Wisconsin, U.S.A. 

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Pathology case of the month - Desert Cottontail

Case History: An adult male desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) was found dead on a ranch in west Texas, U.S.A. Other rabbits had been reported...

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Pathology Case of the Month - Muskrats

Case History: Over a two-week period in November 2017, approximately 20 muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) were found dead in a managed wetland in Ohio...

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Pathology Case of the Month - Great-Horned Owl and Eurasian Collared-Dove

Case History: An adult female Great-Horned Owl (Bobo virginianus) was found dead in a residential yard in Utah, U.S. with an immature male Eurasian...

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