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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

Managing chronic wasting disease (CWD) involves more than understanding the ecology of the disease. It includes complex relationships among social, economic, and political factors that affect intervention opportunities, consequences for stakeholders, and ultimately disease outcomes. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ventana Systems, Inc., and the...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center
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Application of a systems approach for management of chronic wasting disease

Managing chronic wasting disease (CWD) involves more than understanding the ecology of the disease. It includes complex relationships among social, economic, and political factors that affect intervention opportunities, consequences for stakeholders, and ultimately disease outcomes. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ventana Systems, Inc., and the...
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Picture of dead waterbird covered in algae

Review of Wildlife Health Outcomes and Potentially Toxic Algal Blooms in the Chesapeake Bay

Scientists provide resources that review algal toxin data, explore links between avian mortality and toxin exposure, and identify future research needs to predict algal toxin health hazards and risks for birds and other wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Environmental Health Program
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Review of Wildlife Health Outcomes and Potentially Toxic Algal Blooms in the Chesapeake Bay

Scientists provide resources that review algal toxin data, explore links between avian mortality and toxin exposure, and identify future research needs to predict algal toxin health hazards and risks for birds and other wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay.
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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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Filter Total Items: 24

Breeding songbird tissue analysis and metal concentrations in tissues, soil and invertebrates collected near nesting sites within the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District, 2016-19

This dataset provides results for the following: (1) metals concentrations in soils surrounding breeding song bird nest sites; (2) metals concentrations in invertebrates (earthworm and grub composites) collected near nest sites; (3) metals concentrations and delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity in avian blood samples; and (4) metals concentrations, indicators of oxidative stress a
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Columbia Environmental Research Center

Paranannizziopsis spp. associated with skin lesions in wild snakes in North America and development of a real-time PCR assay for rapid detection of the fungus in clinical samples

The emergence of ophidiomycosis (or snake fungal disease) in snakes has prompted increased awareness of the potential impacts of fungal infections on wild reptile populations. Yet, aside from Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, little is known about other mycoses affecting wild reptiles. The closely related genus Paranannizziopsis has been associated with dermatomycosis in snakes and tuataras in captive col
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National Wildlife Health Center

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
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National Wildlife Health Center

Epidemiologic and diagnostic data from two red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and one fisher (Pekania pennanti) with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 submitted to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in 2022

This dataset includes epidemiology, clinical signs, gross and microscopic pathology, and virology data from two red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and one fisher (Pekania pennanti) submitted to the USGS-National Wildlife Health Center for cause-of-death determination and confirmed positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 by USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories. The foxes were
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National Wildlife Health Center

Wildlife mortality events in counties surrounding the Chesapeake Bay recorded in the Wildlife Health Information Sharing Partnership Event Reporting System (WHISPers) from 2000-2020

This data set is composed of all events in the Wildlife Health Information Sharing Partnership Event Reporting System (WHISPers) between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2020 from counties bordering the Chesapeake Bay. Relevant fields include WHSPers ID number, estimated number of animals affected, event start and end dates, states, counties, species involved, event diagnoses, etiological category of the primar
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National Wildlife Health Center

Viral loads, histology, and adverse events in transgenic mice after passive transfer of serum from black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) used to assess the anti-viral efficacy of a subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate

This data set provides biological information from of a captive study of transgenic mice that received either passive serum transfers from black-footed ferrets (BFFs) that were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 or BFFs that were unvaccinated, or a monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2 or lastly a placebo. After these treatments mice were challenged with SARS-CoV-2. The data included here have viral l
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National Wildlife Health Center

Histopathology of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) collected from a maternity roost in Leelanau County, Michigan, USA, in June 2014

This work is part of a study investigating the movement of microcystin from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems via trophic transfer. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), feeding opportunistically on aquatic insects including Hexagenia mayflies, were collected from a maternity roost near Little Traverse Lake (Leelanau County, Michigan, USA). Bats and fecal samples were collected for dietary analysi
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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center

Histopathology of tri-colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) exposed to the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans under varying temperature and humidity conditions

This work is part of an experimental trial investigating the effects of microclimate conditions of temperature and humidity on a fungal pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) disease in hibernating bats. As part of the trial, tri-colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) were exposed to Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) and allowed to hibernate in chambers wit
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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center

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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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, 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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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, 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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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, 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 Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center
Photos of eastern massasauga rattlesnake showing discolored scales and nodule on lung.
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Photomicrographs from an eastern massasauga rattlesnake showing necrosis and fungal hyphae.
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Photomicrographs from a Fisher showing lesions in brain blood vessel, pancreas, and liver.
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Photograph and photomicrographs from a Pacific loon showing nematodes and lesions.
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Photograph and photomicrographs from a bottlenose dolphin found dead in Florida showing hemorrhage and cavitation.
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Photomicrographs from a Trumpeter Swan intestine and trematodes.
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Photographs of intestine and lumen from a Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) found dead
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Photomicrographs from an eastern gray squirrel.
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The outside and a cut section of a firm mass on the right cranial hock of a crane with a roughened black and tan surface.
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Photomicrographs of mass from a sandhill crane
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Digestive gland from a freshwater snail (Lymnaea stagnalis)
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Filter Total Items: 30

Effects of lead exposure on birds breeding in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District

Lead mining in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District began in the 1700s and continued for nearly 300 years; the waste piles associated with smelting, mining, and milling of lead ores have released metal residues that have contaminated soil and water in the region. Previous studies in the district have indicated potential harm to wildlife, including birds, because of elevated lead concentrati
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Rebecka Brasso, Danielle M. Cleveland, Frank R. Thompson, David E. Mosby, Kathy Hixson, Melissa Roach, Barnett A. Rattner, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Julia S. Lankton
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Columbia Environmental Research Center

A cross inoculation experiment reveals Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola and Nannizziopsis guarroi can each infect both snakes and lizards

Host range and specificity are key concepts in the study of infectious diseases. However, both concepts remain largely undefined for many influential pathogens, including many fungi within the Onygenales order. This order encompasses reptile-infecting genera (Nannizziopsis, Ophidiomyces, and Paranannizziopsis) formerly classified as the Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV). The r
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Savannah L Gentry, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Julia S. Lankton, Anne Pringle
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Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

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
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Barbara L. Bodenstein, Julia S. Lankton, Robin E. Russell, Matthew S. Schwarz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Review of harmful algal blooms effects on birds with implications for avian wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay region

The Chesapeake Bay, along the mid-Atlantic coast of North America, is the largest estuary in the United States and provides critical habitat for wildlife. In contrast to point and non-point source release of pesticides, metals, and industrial, personal care and household use chemicals on biota in this watershed, there has only been scant attention to potential exposure and effects of algal toxins
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Barnett A. Rattner, Catherine E. Wazniak, Julia S. Lankton, Peter C. McGowan, Serguei Vyacheslavovich Drovetski, Todd A. Egerton
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

Immunogenicity, safety, and anti-viral efficacy of a subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate in captive black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and their susceptibility to viral challenge

A preliminary vaccination trial against the emergent pathogen, SARS-CoV-2, was completed in captive black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes; BFF) to assess safety, immunogenicity, and anti-viral efficacy. Vaccination and boosting of 15 BFF with purified SARS-CoV-2 S1 subunit protein produced a nearly 150-fold increase in mean antibody titers compared to pre-vaccination titers. Serum antibody respon
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Ariel Elizabeth Leon, Della Garelle, Airn Hartwig, Elizabeth Falendysz, Hon S. Ip, Julia S. Lankton, Tyler Tretten, Terry Spraker, Richard Bowen, Tonie E. Rocke
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Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Paralytic shellfish toxins associated with Arctic Tern mortalities in Alaska

Harmful algal blooms produce biotoxins that can injure or kill fish, wildlife, and humans. These blooms occur naturally but have intensified in many locations globally due to recent climatic changes, including ocean warming. Such changes are especially pronounced in northern regions, where the effects of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) on marine wildlife are of growing concern. In Alaska, seabir
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Caroline R. Van Hemert, John Harley, Gwen Baluss, Matthew M. Smith, Robert J. Dusek, Julia S. Lankton, D. Ransom Hardison, Sarah K. Schoen, Robert Kaler
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Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center, Alaska Science Center

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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Devon N. Jones, Gregory L. Boyer, Julia S. Lankton, Megan Woller-Skar, Amy L. Russell
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Ecosystems Mission Area, 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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Winifred F. Frick, Emily R. Johnson, Tina L. Cheng, Julia S. Lankton, Robin Warne, Jason Dallas, Katy L. Parise, Jeffrey T. Foster, Justin G. Boyles, Liam P. McGuire
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Ecosystems Mission Area, 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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Zachary Laughrey, Victoria Christensen, Robert J. Dusek, Sarena Senegal, Julia S. Lankton, Tracy Ziegler, Lee C. Jones, Daniel Jones, Brianna Williams, Stephanie Gordon, Gerald A. Clyde, Erich B Emery, Keith Loftin
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, 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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Savannah L Gentry, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Julia S. Lankton, Anne Pringle
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Ecosystems Mission Area, 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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Bryan J. Richards, Anne Ballmann, Julia S. Lankton, Thierry M. Work, Jaimie L. Miller
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Ecosystems Mission Area, 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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Michelle Michalski, Emily Kadolph, Constance Roderick, Julia S. Lankton, Rebecca A. Cole
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Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center
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Pathology Case of the Month - Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

Case History: An adult female eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) was found acting lethargic during species surveys in Wisconsin, U.S...

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Pathology Case of the Month - Fisher

Case History: A 5 kg adult male fisher (Pekania pennanti) was found in a residential backyard in Wisconsin, USA in April 2022. The fisher was...

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Pathology Case of the Month - Pacific Loon

Case History: In August, in a popular fishing lake in Alaska, USA, one Pacific loon (Gavia pacifica) chick was noticed floating head down in the water...

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Pathology Case of the Month - Trumpeter Swan

Case History: A mortality event involving four swans was reported in December in Indiana, U.S.A. Two Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) were...

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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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Science and Products

*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