Dr. Iwanowicz is a research biologist at the USGS, Eastern Ecological Science Center, National Fish Health Research Laboratory in in Kearneysville, WV.
Biography
His primary research focuses on the application of resident fishes as sentinels of aquatic ecosystem health, the development of molecular tools for field study, and the identification of emerging diseases of fishes. He also leads a Core Technology Team established to evaluate environmental water samples for biological activity including endocrine disrupting activity and toxicity.
Education
- Ph.D. 2008, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Department of Natural Resources, Advisor: Stephen D. McCormick
- M.S. 2000, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Department of Aquaculture/Fisheries, Advisor: Andrew E. Goodwin
- B.S. 1997, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Major: Fish Biology, Minor: Biology
Professional Experience
- Editorial Board, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2016-present
- Adjunct Graduate Faculty, University of Maryland, College Park, 2015-present
- Associate Editor, Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, 2009-2017
- Research Biologist, US Geological Survey, Leetown Science Center, 2008-present
- Research Fish Biologist, US Geological Survey, Leetown Science Center, 2006-2008
- Biological Laboratory Technician, US Geological Survey, Leetown Science Center, 2002-2006
- Scientist II, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, 2001-2002
Selected Awards & Recognition
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Scientific and Technological Achievement Award (2015)
- Spotlight Feature Article, Journal of Virology (2015)
- American Fisheries Society, Most significant paper in Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (2011)
- AFS-Fish Health Section; Special Achievement Award (2011)
- American Fisheries Society, Most significant paper in Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (2004)
Professional Societies
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American Society for Microbiology
- American Fisheries Society
- Microbiology Society
- Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Science and Products
Investigating blotchy bass syndrome in black basses
Intersex in Male Smallmouth Bass in the Missisquoi River in Vermont: Understanding Factors that Can Lead to Endocrine Disruption in Field Settings
Human and Ecological Health Impacts Associated with Water Reuse and Conservation Practices
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Prevalence of Intersex in Fish Populations in New Jersey
Molecular characterization of unknown virus isolated from the introduced species, the Northern snake head (Channa argus), present in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Evaluating the pathogenicity and replication of a novel aquareovirus that infects the endangered fountain darter, Etheostoma fonticola
Prevalence of novel, emerging hepatitis viruses in wild white suckers and their association with liver tumors in the Great Lakes region
Functional and Molecular Bioassays
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Prevalence of Intersex in Fish Populations in New Jersey
Molecular tools and methodologies
New Hepatitis B Virus Discovered in White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii)
Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) White Blood Cells are Functionally Modulated by Estrogens
Physiological and molecular endpoints observed in juvenile largemouth bass in response to an estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol) and subsequently a bacterial challenge (Edwardsiella piscicida) exposure under laboratory conditions.
Water-quality results from a wastewater reuse study: Inorganic and organic compositions of wastewater effluent and select urban and agricultural water types during rain-induced runoff, Chickasha, Oklahoma, 2018-2019
SARS-CoV-2 Data from National Wastewater Surveillance System Surge Capacity Sampling, September 2021
Estrogen equivalents of surface water in Pennsylvania, 2012-2017
Data supporting: Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Calicivirus from a Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from Lake Memphremagog, VT
Current use pesticides in larval amphibian tissues, amphibian pathogen and wetland sediment screening data from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges, 2013-2014
Water-quality data for a pharmaceutical study at Muddy Creek in North Liberty and Coralville, Iowa, 2017-2018
2004-2010 Chesapeake Bay Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass Estrogenic Biomarker Data
Estrogen equivalents of surface water and smallmouth bass estrogenic biomarker data in New Jersey, 2016-2017
Toxicity of potassium chloride, active compound in the molluscicide potash, on salmonid fishes and their forage base (Leetown Science Center, 2018).
Estrogen Equivalents of Surface Water in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Watershed (2008 - 2011)
Chelonid Herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) genomic sequences obtained through long-range PCR and high throughput sequencing from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis
Contaminant exposure and transport from three potential reuse waters within a single watershed
Exposure to 17α-ethinylestradiol results in differential susceptibility of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to bacterial infection
Transcriptome signatures of wastewater effluent exposure in larval zebrafish vary with seasonal mixture composition in an effluent-dominated stream
Using biological responses to monitor freshwater post-spill conditions over 3 years in Blacktail Creek, North Dakota, USA
RNA-seq reveals potential gene biomarkers in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) for exposure to treated wastewater effluent
Freshwater unionid mussels threatened by predation of Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Draft genome sequence of a novel calicivirus from a brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec
Site- and individual-level contaminations affect infection prevalence of an emerging infectious disease of amphibians
Tandem field and laboratory approaches to quantify attenuation mechanisms of pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical transformation products in a wastewater effluent-dominated stream
Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
Emerging investigator series: Municipal wastewater as a year-round point source of neonicotinoid insecticides that persist in an effluent-dominated stream
Public and private tapwater: Comparative analysis of contaminant exposure and potential risk, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
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
Filter Total Items: 13
Investigating blotchy bass syndrome in black basses
Black basses (Micropterus spp) are enigmatic North American sportfishes that support the most economically valuable freshwater sport fishery in the United States and serve as keystone predators within aquatic ecosystems. Hyperpigmented melanistic lesions on the surface of black basses have been observed in a number of waterbodies across the country in increasing frequency. We have recently...Intersex in Male Smallmouth Bass in the Missisquoi River in Vermont: Understanding Factors that Can Lead to Endocrine Disruption in Field Settings
The presence of testicular oocytes (intersex) in male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the Missisquoi River in Vermont varied over the period of the study and was not related to concentrations of known endocrine disrupting chemicals in the River. Although previous studies have shown linkages between endocrine disrupting chemical exposures and intersex in fish, these results indicate that...Human and Ecological Health Impacts Associated with Water Reuse and Conservation Practices
Human and Ecological Health Impacts Associated with Water Reuse and Conservation PracticesEndocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Prevalence of Intersex in Fish Populations in New Jersey
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are compounds with the potential to interfere with normal endocrine communication in organisms.Molecular characterization of unknown virus isolated from the introduced species, the Northern snake head (Channa argus), present in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Molecular characterization of unknown virus isolated from the introduced species, the Northern snake head (Channa argus), present in the Chesapeake Bay WatershedEvaluating the pathogenicity and replication of a novel aquareovirus that infects the endangered fountain darter, Etheostoma fonticola
Evaluating the pathogenicity and replication of a novel aquareovirus that infects the endangered fountain darter, Etheostoma fonticolaPrevalence of novel, emerging hepatitis viruses in wild white suckers and their association with liver tumors in the Great Lakes region
Prevalence of novel, emerging hepatitis viruses in wild white suckers and their association with liver tumors in the Great Lakes regionFunctional and Molecular Bioassays
About the Research The Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists from the Functional and Molecular Bioassay Laboratory to apply and modify microbial and eukaryotic reporter bioassays to detect the presence of bioactive chemicals in environmental water samples. These analyses compliment analytical chemistry and biological datasets. The laboratory adapts and applies cell isolation...Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Prevalence of Intersex in Fish Populations in New Jersey
NJ WSC and Leetown Science Center scientists in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection were tasked with characterizing endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass from New Jersey.Molecular tools and methodologies
Molecular tools and methodologies are used designed and used for diverse applications. These applications can be used to assess questions of threatened and endangered species, population and conservation biology, ecological communities, microbial diversity, molecular epidemiology and genomics of non-model organisms among many others. Successful integration of these tools and technologies greatly...New Hepatitis B Virus Discovered in White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii)
The first known hepatitis B virus to infect fish (white sucker; Catostomus commersonii) has been discovered by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists.Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) White Blood Cells are Functionally Modulated by Estrogens
Estrogens are recognized as modulators of immune responses in mammals, but how these effects might occur in fish was not understood. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists published findings that fish white blood cells (leukocytes) have specific estrogen receptors (ERs)—a discovery that moves scientists one step closer to understanding the connection between exposure to estrogenic substances and... - Data
Filter Total Items: 13
Physiological and molecular endpoints observed in juvenile largemouth bass in response to an estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol) and subsequently a bacterial challenge (Edwardsiella piscicida) exposure under laboratory conditions.
Physiological and molecular endpoints observed in juvenile largemouth bass in response to an estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol) and subsequently a bacterial challenge (Edwardsiella piscicida) exposure under laboratory conditions. Also included are water quality and chemical concentration data.Water-quality results from a wastewater reuse study: Inorganic and organic compositions of wastewater effluent and select urban and agricultural water types during rain-induced runoff, Chickasha, Oklahoma, 2018-2019
Oklahoma State University South-Central Research Station (SCRS) was used to conduct research to understand the chemical composition of various water types and their potential environmental and human health effects. The study area provided the opportunity to study five water types: (1) receiving surface water (Washita River), (2) urban stormwater, (3) wastewater treatment plant effluent used for irSARS-CoV-2 Data from National Wastewater Surveillance System Surge Capacity Sampling, September 2021
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is used to determine the consumption of, or exposure to, chemicals or pathogens in human populations, and is conducted by collecting representative samples of untreated wastewater (influent) to quantify pathogens shed in the population served by the sampled wastewater system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Health anEstrogen equivalents of surface water in Pennsylvania, 2012-2017
The data were gathered as part of a long-term, seasonal assessment of estrogenicity in selected locations within Pennsylvania from 2012-2017. Data were collected over this time frame to determine seasonal and annual changes in surface water estrogenicity.Estrogen is reported as estrogen equivalents (EEQ) as determined by a bioluminescent yeast estrogen screen. A total of 193 grab water samples werData supporting: Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Calicivirus from a Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from Lake Memphremagog, VT
We report a draft genome of a previously undescribed calicivirus from a single brown bullhead inhabiting Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec. The genome is 7413 nt in length and is most similar to the Atlantic salmon calicivirus (nucleotide identity: 64.7%).Current use pesticides in larval amphibian tissues, amphibian pathogen and wetland sediment screening data from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges, 2013-2014
The data include concentrations of current use pesticides in tissues of larval wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) and spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the presence of ranavirus in wood frogs and spotted salamanders from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges sampled in 2013 and 2014. The data also include estrogenicity, protein phosphatase 2A inhibition and a suite of 15 major andWater-quality data for a pharmaceutical study at Muddy Creek in North Liberty and Coralville, Iowa, 2017-2018
Samples were collected, processed, and analyzed for organics, estrogen equivalents, and fecal indicator bacteria. Filtered organic samples were sent to the National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colorado. Unfiltered estrogen equivalent samples were sent to the Organic Geochemistry Research Lab in Lawrence, Kansas, for extraction, after which they were sent to the National Fish Health Resear2004-2010 Chesapeake Bay Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass Estrogenic Biomarker Data
The data was gathered to document the extent and severity of biomarkers of exposure to estrogenic chemicals in smallmouth and largemouth bass. Samples were collected from 2004 through 2010 at sites in five watersheds within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A total of 281 largemouth bass were collected from the Potomac, Susquehanna, Patuxent and Rappahannock rivers and 1,384 smallmouth bass from the PEstrogen equivalents of surface water and smallmouth bass estrogenic biomarker data in New Jersey, 2016-2017
The data were gathered as a preliminary assessment of estrogenicity under base-flow conditions at over 100 sites (lakes and streams) throughout New Jersey followed by more targeted sampling of smallmouth bass at nine sites with varying levels of estrogenicity. In 2016, 102 sites (lakes and streams) for the preliminary estrogenicity assessment were selected utilizing compiled results of previous moToxicity of potassium chloride, active compound in the molluscicide potash, on salmonid fishes and their forage base (Leetown Science Center, 2018).
The data is supplemental to the 2018 USGS Open File Report, "An evaluation of the acute and chronic toxicity of potassium chloride, active compound in the molluscicide potash, on salmonid fishes and their forage base". This research was performed as a Science Support Partnership (SSP) study with USFWS in order to evaluate potential lethal and sublethal impacts of potassium chloride on salmonid fisEstrogen Equivalents of Surface Water in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Watershed (2008 - 2011)
Intersex in small- and largemouth bass has been observed in the upper Chesapeake Bay Watershed since 2003. This observation is indicative of exposure to estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals. In order to complement biological data sets and better identify the spatial and temporal nature of this end-point, discrete grab water samples were collected throughout the upper Chesapeake Bay WatershedChelonid Herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) genomic sequences obtained through long-range PCR and high throughput sequencing from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis
The files in this data release are the processed DNA consensus sequence alignment files for the chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV-5) genome plus 66 open reading frames representing protien-coding genes. DNA was extracted from tumor biopsies from green sea turtles (Chelonias mydas) with fibropapillomatosis sampled from Florida and Hawaii coastal waters. We used high-throughput short-read sequencing (Ill - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 100
Contaminant exposure and transport from three potential reuse waters within a single watershed
Global demand for safe and sustainable water supplies necessitates a better understanding of contaminant exposures in potential reuse waters. In this study, we compared exposures and load contributions to surface water from the discharge of three reuse waters (wastewater effluent, urban stormwater, and agricultural runoff). Results document substantial and varying organic-chemical contribution toByWater Resources, Environmental Health Program, California Water Science Center, Oklahoma Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater LaboratoryExposure to 17α-ethinylestradiol results in differential susceptibility of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to bacterial infection
Disease outbreaks, skin lesions, mortality events, and reproductive abnormalities have been observed in wild populations of centrarchids. The presence of estrogenic endocrine disrupting compounds (EEDCs) has been implicated as a potential causal factor for these effects. The effects of prior EEDC exposure on immune response were examined in juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) exposedTranscriptome signatures of wastewater effluent exposure in larval zebrafish vary with seasonal mixture composition in an effluent-dominated stream
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent-dominated streams provide critical habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms but also continually expose them to complex mixtures of pharmaceuticals that can potentially impair growth, behavior, and reproduction. Currently, few biomarkers are available that relate to pharmaceutical-specific mechanisms of action. In the experiment reported in this papeUsing biological responses to monitor freshwater post-spill conditions over 3 years in Blacktail Creek, North Dakota, USA
A pipeline carrying unconventional oil and gas (OG) wastewater spilled approximately 11 million liters of wastewater into Blacktail Creek, North Dakota, USA. Flow of the mix of stream water and wastewater down the channel resulted in storage of contaminants in the hyporheic zone and along the banks, providing a long-term source of wastewater constituents to the stream. A multi-level investigationRNA-seq reveals potential gene biomarkers in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) for exposure to treated wastewater effluent
Discharged wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent greatly contributes to the generation of complex mixtures of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic environments which often contain neuropharmaceuticals and other emerging contaminants that may impact neurological function. However, there is a paucity of knowledge on the neurological impacts of these exposures to aquatic organisms.Freshwater unionid mussels threatened by predation of Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Indigenous freshwater mussels (Unionidae) are integral to riverine ecosystems, playing a pivotal role in aquatic food webs and providing ecological services. With populations on the decline worldwide, freshwater mussels are of conservation concern. In this study, we explore the propensity of the invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) fish to prey upon indigenous freshwater mussels. First, weDraft genome sequence of a novel calicivirus from a brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec
We report a draft genome sequence of a previously undescribed calicivirus from a single brown bullhead inhabiting Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec. The genome is 7,413 nucleotides long and is most similar to the Atlantic salmon calicivirus (nucleotide identity; 64.7%).Site- and individual-level contaminations affect infection prevalence of an emerging infectious disease of amphibians
Emerging infectious disease outbreaks are one of multiple stressors responsible for amphibian declines globally. In the northeastern United States, ranaviral diseases are prevalent in amphibians and other ectothermic species, but there is still uncertainty as to whether their presence is leading to population level effects. Further, there is also uncertainty surrounding the potential interactionsTandem field and laboratory approaches to quantify attenuation mechanisms of pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical transformation products in a wastewater effluent-dominated stream
Evolving complex mixtures of pharmaceuticals and transformation products in effluent-dominated streams pose potential impacts to aquatic species; thus, understanding the attenuation dynamics in the field and characterizing the prominent attenuation mechanisms of pharmaceuticals and their transformation products (TPs) is critical for hazard assessments. Herein, we determined the attenuation dynamicPilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
A pilot-scale expanded target assessment of mixtures of inorganic and organic contaminants in point-of-consumption drinking water (tapwater, TW) was conducted in Puerto Rico (PR) to continue to inform TW exposures and corresponding estimations of cumulative human-health risks across the US. In August 2018, a spatial synoptic pilot assessment of than 524 organic, 37 inorganic, and select microbioloEmerging investigator series: Municipal wastewater as a year-round point source of neonicotinoid insecticides that persist in an effluent-dominated stream
Neonicotinoids in aquatic systems have been predominantly associated with agriculture, but some are increasingly being linked to municipal wastewater. Thus, the aim of this work was to understand the municipal wastewater contribution to neonicotinoids in a representative, characterized effluent-dominated temperate-region stream. Our approach was to quantify the spatiotemporal concentrations of imiPublic and private tapwater: Comparative analysis of contaminant exposure and potential risk, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
BackgroundHumans are primary drivers of environmental contamination worldwide, including in drinking-water resources. In the United States (US), federal and state agencies regulate and monitor public-supply drinking water while private-supply monitoring is rare; the current lack of directly comparable information on contaminant-mixture exposures and risks between private- and public-supplies underByEcosystems, Water Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, New England Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality LaboratoryNon-USGS Publications**
Iwanowicz, L., L Brown, B Eltz, F Juanes and J Murt (2004) Book Review. In a Perfect Ocean: The state of fisheries and ecosystems in the North Atlantic Ocean. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries.14: 149-151.McIntire, M., L R Iwanowicz and A E Goodwin (2003) Molecular, physical and clinical evidence that Golden Shiner Virus (GSV) and Grass Carp Reovirus (GCRV) are variants of the same virus. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health. 15: 257-263.Iwanowicz, L.R. and A E Goodwin (2002) Characterization of a new bacilliform fathead minnow rhabdovirus that produces syncytia in tissue culture. Archives of Virology 147: 889 – 916.Iwanowicz, L.R. A E Goodwin and J Harshbarger (2001) Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the giant gourami, Colisa fasciata (Bloch & Schneider). Journal of Fish Diseases 24:177-179Iwanowicz, L.R. A E Goodwin and N Heil (2000) A small RNA virus isolated from apparently healthy wild sandbar shiners, Notropis scepticus. Journal of Fish Diseases 23: 349-352.**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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