Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Thierry M Work

Dr. Thierry M Work is currently the project leader for the National Wildlife Health Center Honolulu Field Station where he leads a team that provides support to safeguard wildlife and ecosystem health through research and technical assistance to federal, state, and international partners.

Professional Experience

  • 1992-Present: Project leader, USGS National Wildlife Health Center Honolulu Field Station

  • 1987-1992: Wildlife veterinarian, California Department of Fish & Game

Education and Certifications

  • 1989 Masters in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis

  • 1988 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis

  • 1985 Master Science, Entomology, UC Davis

  • 1983 Bachelor Science, Entomology, Texas A&M

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Wildlife Disease Association

  • Sigma Xi

Science and Products

A diver underwater uses a hose to apply paste to corallimorphs in a plot marked by a square of white pipes.

Fighting an Invasive Marine Threat to Coral Reefs

USGS scientists are developing and testing new tools to control an invasive species threatening coral reefs at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and across the Hawaiian Islands.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center
Fighting an Invasive Marine Threat to Coral Reefs

Fighting an Invasive Marine Threat to Coral Reefs

USGS scientists are developing and testing new tools to control an invasive species threatening coral reefs at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and across the Hawaiian Islands.
Learn More
Image: Colony of Boulder Brain Coral (Colpophyllia natans)

Research in Response to Florida’s Emerging Stony Coral (scleractinia) Diseases

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a rapidly progressive disease threat to corals that results in a bleached appearance due to loss of living tissue.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center
Research in Response to Florida’s Emerging Stony Coral (scleractinia) Diseases

Research in Response to Florida’s Emerging Stony Coral (scleractinia) Diseases

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a rapidly progressive disease threat to corals that results in a bleached appearance due to loss of living tissue.
Learn More
A view of healthy elkhorn corals on the seafloor in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Interagency coordination on coral health

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) supports coral health through participation in two interagency coordination bodies, the Florida Disturbance Advisory Committee, which is focused on joint management of the Florida Coral Reef Tract, and the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which is focused on joint management of reef resources within U.S. Territories in both the Caribbean and Pacific.
By
National Wildlife Health Center
Interagency coordination on coral health

Interagency coordination on coral health

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) supports coral health through participation in two interagency coordination bodies, the Florida Disturbance Advisory Committee, which is focused on joint management of the Florida Coral Reef Tract, and the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which is focused on joint management of reef resources within U.S. Territories in both the Caribbean and Pacific.
Learn More
Boulder brain coral with signs of stony coral tissue loss disease

Integrating Science and Management to Assist with the Response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

A USGS multi-disciplinary team will use laboratory and modeling approaches to investigate the cause of stony coral tissue loss disease.
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Integrating Science and Management to Assist with the Response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

Integrating Science and Management to Assist with the Response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

A USGS multi-disciplinary team will use laboratory and modeling approaches to investigate the cause of stony coral tissue loss disease.
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 21
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 175

Differences in antibody responses against Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) suggest differences in virus biology in ChHV5-seropositive green turtles from Hawaii and ChHV5-seropositive green turtles from Florida Differences in antibody responses against Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) suggest differences in virus biology in ChHV5-seropositive green turtles from Hawaii and ChHV5-seropositive green turtles from Florida

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumor disease associated with a herpesvirus (chelonid herpesvirus 5 [ChHV5]) that affects mainly green turtles globally. Understanding the epidemiology of FP has been hampered by a lack of robust serological assays to monitor exposure to ChHV5. This is due in part to an inability to efficiently culture the virus in vitro for neutralization assays. Here, we...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, Anna Willimann, George Balazs, Kate Mansfield, Mathias Ackermann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Caryospora-like coccidia infecting green turtles (Chelonia mydas): An emerging disease with evidence of interoceanic dissemination Caryospora-like coccidia infecting green turtles (Chelonia mydas): An emerging disease with evidence of interoceanic dissemination

Protozoa morphologically consistent with Caryospora sp. are one of the few pathogens associated with episodic mass mortality events involving free-ranging sea turtles. Parasitism of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) by these coccidia and associated mortality was first reported in maricultured turtles in the Caribbean during the 1970s. Years later, epizootics affecting wild green turtles in...
Authors
Brian A. Stacy, Phoebe A. Chapman, Heather Stockdale-Walden, Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, Allen M. Foley, Morgan Wideroff, Wellehan, April L. Childress, Charles A. Manire, Mya Rodriguez, Trevor T. Zachariah, Lydia Staggs, Bette Zirkelbach, Nina Nahvi, Whitney Crowder, Shane M. Boylan, Shelly Marquardt, Craig Pelton, Terry M. Norton
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center

Quantifying spirorchiid eggs in splenic histological samples from green turtles Quantifying spirorchiid eggs in splenic histological samples from green turtles

No abstract available.
Authors
Felipe D’Azeredo, Meira Meira-Filho, Thierry M. Work
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

A novel host-adapted strain of Salmonella Typhimurium causes disease in olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Pacific. A novel host-adapted strain of Salmonella Typhimurium causes disease in olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Pacific.

Salmonella spp. are frequently shed by wildlife including turtles, but S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium or lesions associated with Salmonella are rare in turtles. Between 1996 and 2016, we necropsied 127 apparently healthy pelagic olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) that died from drowning bycatch in fisheries and 44 live or freshly dead stranded turtles from the...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, Brian A. Stacy, Jason T. Ladner, Jeffrey M. Lorch, George H. Balazs, Elias Barquero-Calvo, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Renee Breeden, Natalia Corrales-Gomez, Rocio Gonzalez-Barrientos, Heather Harris, Gabriela Hernandez-Mora, Angel Herrera-Ulloa, Shoreh Hesami, T. Todd Jones, Juan Alberto Morales, Terry M. Norton, Robert Rameyer, Daniel Taylor, Thomas B. Waltzek
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Quarterly wildlife mortality report April 2019 Quarterly wildlife mortality report April 2019

No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Daniel A. Grear, C. LeAnn White, Thierry M. Work, Emily A Underwood
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Report of the technical expert workshop: Developing recommendations for field response, captive management, and rehabilitation of sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis Report of the technical expert workshop: Developing recommendations for field response, captive management, and rehabilitation of sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a disease of sea turtles that primarily manifests as tumors of the skin. Strandings of green turtles with this disease have dramatically increased in the Southeast U.S. over the last decade, necessitating a review of various practices related to the capture, handling, and treatment of afflicted turtles. NOAA and USFWS hosted a workshop in St. Petersburg...
Authors
Brian Stacy, Allen M. Foley, Thierry M. Work, Anne Lauritsen, Barbara Schroeder, Stacy A. Hargrove, Jennifer L. Keene
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Human induced trauma and directed take inhibits sea turtle recovery in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Human induced trauma and directed take inhibits sea turtle recovery in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Sea turtle conservation is often hindered by the lack of reliable information on population status and threats due to sampling difficulties of these highly migratory reptiles that live in remote and data-poor locations. This paper summarizes more than a decade of stranding recoveries (live and dead turtles) on the islands of Saipan and Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands...
Authors
Tammy M. Summers, Irene Kinan Kelly, Thierry M. Work, Jessy R. Hapdei, Joe K. Ruak
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Exploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star Exploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star

Over the past decade, unusual mortality outbreaks have decimated echinoderm populations over broad geographic regions, raising awareness globally of the importance of investigating such events. Echinoderms are key components of marine benthos for top-down and bottom-up regulations of plants and animals; population declines of these individuals can have significant ecosystem-wide effects...
Authors
Laura Nunez-Pons, Thierry M. Work, Carlos Angulo-Preckler, Juan Moles, Conxita Avila
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center

Managing an invasive corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific Managing an invasive corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific

In 2007, a phase shift from corals to corallimorpharians (CM) centered around a shipwreck was documented at Palmyra Atoll, Line Islands. Subsequent surveys revealed CM to be overgrowing the reef benthos, including corals and coralline algae, potentially placing coral ecosystems in the atoll at risk. This prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the lead management agency of the atoll...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Greta S. Aeby, Benjamin P. Neal, Nichole N. Price, Eric Conklin, Amanda Pollock
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Genomic evolution, recombination, and inter-strain diversity of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis Genomic evolution, recombination, and inter-strain diversity of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis

Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) is a herpesvirus associated with fibropapillomatosis (FP) in sea turtles worldwide. Single-locus typing has previously shown differentiation between Atlantic and Pacific strains of this virus, with low variation within each geographic clade. However, a lack of multi-locus genomic sequence data hinders understanding of the rate and mechanisms of ChHV5
Authors
Cheryl L. Morrison, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Thierry M. Work, Elizabeth Fahsbender, Mya Breitbart, Cynthia R. Adams, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Lakyn Sanders, Mathias Ackermann, Robert S. Cornman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

Validation of ATR FT-IR to identify polymers of plastic marine debris, including those ingested by marine organisms Validation of ATR FT-IR to identify polymers of plastic marine debris, including those ingested by marine organisms

Polymer identification of plastic marine debris can help identify its sources, degradation, and fate. We optimized and validated a fast, simple, and accessible technique, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR), to identify polymers contained in plastic ingested by sea turtles. Spectra of consumer good items with known resin identification codes...
Authors
Melissa R. Jung, F. David Horgen, Sara V. Orski, Viviana Rodriguez, Kathryn L. Beers, George H. Balazs, T. Todd Jones, Thierry M. Work, Kayla C. Brignac, Sarah-Jeanne Royer, David K. Hyrenbach, Brenda A. Jensen, Jennifer M. Lynch
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Identification of Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with fibropapillomatosis in Asia Identification of Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with fibropapillomatosis in Asia

Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating tumor disease of sea turtles, was first identified in green turtles [Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)] in Florida in 1938. In recent decades, FP has been observed globally and is an emerging panzootic disease in sea turtles. However, few reports of FP in Asia exist. Here, we provide the first evidence of Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) DNA...
Authors
Tsung-Hsien Li, Wei-Li Hsu, Yu-Ching Lan, George H. Balazs, Thierry M. Work, Cheng-Tsung Tseng, Chao-Chin Chang
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Beale, A.M., Higgins, R.J., Work, T.M., Bailey, C.S., Smith, M.O., Shinka, T., and Hammock, B.D. (1989). MPTP-induced parkinson-like disease in sheep: Clinical and pathologic findings. Journal of Environmental Pathology and Toxicology 9, 417-428.
Hammock, B.D., Beale, A.M., Work, T.M., Gee, S.J., Gunther, R., Higgins, R.J., Shinka, T., and Castagnoli, N. (1989). A sheep model for MPTP induced parkinson-like symptoms. Life Sciences 45, 1601-1608.
Jessup, D.A., Work, T.M., Bushnell, R., Sawyer, M.M., and Osburn, B.I. (1990). An outbreak of bluetongue in captive deer and adjacent livestock in Kern county, California. California Fish and Game 76, 83-90.
Work, T.M., and Jessup, D.A. (1990). Epidemiology and pathology of hemorrhagic disease in free-ranging black-tailed deer in California: 1986-1987. Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society 26, 72-76.
Work, T.M., Sawyer, M.M., Jessup, D.A., Washino, R.K., and Osburn, B.I. (1990). Effects of anaesthetization and storage temperature on bluetongue virus recovery from Culicoides variipennis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and sheep blood. Journal of medical entomology 27, 331-333.
Work, T.M., Washino, R.K., and Van RIper, I.I.I., C (1990). Comparative susceptibility of Culex tarsalis, Anopheles franciscanus and Culiseta inornata (Diptera: Culicidae) to Plasmodium relictum (Haemosporidia: Plasmodiiae). Journal of medical entomology 27, 68-71.
Work, T.M., Mullens, B.A., and Jessup, D.A. (1991). Estimation of survival and gonotrophic cycle length of Culicoides variipennis (Diptera; Ceratopogonidae) in California. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 7, 242-249.
Fritz, L., Quilliam, M.A., Wright, J.L.C., Beale, A.M., and Work, T.M. (1992). An outbreak of domoic acid poisoning attributed to the pennate diatom Pseudonitzschia australis. J Phycol 28, 439-442.
Work, T.M., Jessup, D.A., and Sawyer, M.M. (1992). Experimental bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus infeciton in black-tailed deer. J Wildl Dis 28, 623-628.
Work, T.M., Barr, B., Beale, A., Fritz, L., Quilliam, M.A., and Wright, J.L.C. (1993). Epidemiology of domoic acid poisoning in brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and Brandt's cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) in California. J Zoo Wildl Med 24, 54-62.
Work, T.M., Beale, A.M., Fritz, L., Quilliam, M.A., Silver, M., Buck, K., and Wright, J. (1993). Domoic acid intoxication of brown pelicans and cormorants in Santa Cruz, California. In Toxic phytoplankton blooms in the sea, T. Smayda, ed. (Copenhagen: Elsiever), pp. 643-649.
Work, T.M., DeLong, R.L., Spraker, T.R., and Melin, S.R. (1993). Halothane anesthesia as a method of immobilizing free-ranging California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). J Zoo Wildl Med 24, 482-487.
Chomel, B.B., Carniciu, M.L., Kasten, R.W., Castelli, P.M., Work, T.M., and Jessup, D.A. (1994). Antibody prevalence of eight ruminant infectious diseases in California mule and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemioneus). J Wildl Dis 30, 51-59.
Patton, J.F., Work, T.M., Jessup, D.A., Hietala, S.K., Oliver, M.N., and MacLachlan, N.J. (1994). Serologic detection of bluetongue virus infection of black-tailed deer:comparison of the serum neutralization, agar gel immunodiffusion, and competitive ELISA assays. J Wildl Dis 30, 99-102.
Paul-Murphy, J., Work, T., Hunter, D.B., McFie, E., and Fjelline, D. (1994). Serologic survey and serum biochemical reference ranges of the free-ranging mountain lion (Felis concolor) in California. J Wildl Dis 30, 205-215.

**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

A diver underwater uses a hose to apply paste to corallimorphs in a plot marked by a square of white pipes.

Fighting an Invasive Marine Threat to Coral Reefs

USGS scientists are developing and testing new tools to control an invasive species threatening coral reefs at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and across the Hawaiian Islands.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center
Fighting an Invasive Marine Threat to Coral Reefs

Fighting an Invasive Marine Threat to Coral Reefs

USGS scientists are developing and testing new tools to control an invasive species threatening coral reefs at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and across the Hawaiian Islands.
Learn More
Image: Colony of Boulder Brain Coral (Colpophyllia natans)

Research in Response to Florida’s Emerging Stony Coral (scleractinia) Diseases

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a rapidly progressive disease threat to corals that results in a bleached appearance due to loss of living tissue.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center
Research in Response to Florida’s Emerging Stony Coral (scleractinia) Diseases

Research in Response to Florida’s Emerging Stony Coral (scleractinia) Diseases

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a rapidly progressive disease threat to corals that results in a bleached appearance due to loss of living tissue.
Learn More
A view of healthy elkhorn corals on the seafloor in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Interagency coordination on coral health

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) supports coral health through participation in two interagency coordination bodies, the Florida Disturbance Advisory Committee, which is focused on joint management of the Florida Coral Reef Tract, and the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which is focused on joint management of reef resources within U.S. Territories in both the Caribbean and Pacific.
By
National Wildlife Health Center
Interagency coordination on coral health

Interagency coordination on coral health

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) supports coral health through participation in two interagency coordination bodies, the Florida Disturbance Advisory Committee, which is focused on joint management of the Florida Coral Reef Tract, and the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which is focused on joint management of reef resources within U.S. Territories in both the Caribbean and Pacific.
Learn More
Boulder brain coral with signs of stony coral tissue loss disease

Integrating Science and Management to Assist with the Response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

A USGS multi-disciplinary team will use laboratory and modeling approaches to investigate the cause of stony coral tissue loss disease.
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Integrating Science and Management to Assist with the Response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

Integrating Science and Management to Assist with the Response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

A USGS multi-disciplinary team will use laboratory and modeling approaches to investigate the cause of stony coral tissue loss disease.
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 21
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 175

Differences in antibody responses against Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) suggest differences in virus biology in ChHV5-seropositive green turtles from Hawaii and ChHV5-seropositive green turtles from Florida Differences in antibody responses against Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) suggest differences in virus biology in ChHV5-seropositive green turtles from Hawaii and ChHV5-seropositive green turtles from Florida

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumor disease associated with a herpesvirus (chelonid herpesvirus 5 [ChHV5]) that affects mainly green turtles globally. Understanding the epidemiology of FP has been hampered by a lack of robust serological assays to monitor exposure to ChHV5. This is due in part to an inability to efficiently culture the virus in vitro for neutralization assays. Here, we...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, Anna Willimann, George Balazs, Kate Mansfield, Mathias Ackermann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Caryospora-like coccidia infecting green turtles (Chelonia mydas): An emerging disease with evidence of interoceanic dissemination Caryospora-like coccidia infecting green turtles (Chelonia mydas): An emerging disease with evidence of interoceanic dissemination

Protozoa morphologically consistent with Caryospora sp. are one of the few pathogens associated with episodic mass mortality events involving free-ranging sea turtles. Parasitism of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) by these coccidia and associated mortality was first reported in maricultured turtles in the Caribbean during the 1970s. Years later, epizootics affecting wild green turtles in...
Authors
Brian A. Stacy, Phoebe A. Chapman, Heather Stockdale-Walden, Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, Allen M. Foley, Morgan Wideroff, Wellehan, April L. Childress, Charles A. Manire, Mya Rodriguez, Trevor T. Zachariah, Lydia Staggs, Bette Zirkelbach, Nina Nahvi, Whitney Crowder, Shane M. Boylan, Shelly Marquardt, Craig Pelton, Terry M. Norton
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center

Quantifying spirorchiid eggs in splenic histological samples from green turtles Quantifying spirorchiid eggs in splenic histological samples from green turtles

No abstract available.
Authors
Felipe D’Azeredo, Meira Meira-Filho, Thierry M. Work
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

A novel host-adapted strain of Salmonella Typhimurium causes disease in olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Pacific. A novel host-adapted strain of Salmonella Typhimurium causes disease in olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Pacific.

Salmonella spp. are frequently shed by wildlife including turtles, but S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium or lesions associated with Salmonella are rare in turtles. Between 1996 and 2016, we necropsied 127 apparently healthy pelagic olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) that died from drowning bycatch in fisheries and 44 live or freshly dead stranded turtles from the...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, Brian A. Stacy, Jason T. Ladner, Jeffrey M. Lorch, George H. Balazs, Elias Barquero-Calvo, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Renee Breeden, Natalia Corrales-Gomez, Rocio Gonzalez-Barrientos, Heather Harris, Gabriela Hernandez-Mora, Angel Herrera-Ulloa, Shoreh Hesami, T. Todd Jones, Juan Alberto Morales, Terry M. Norton, Robert Rameyer, Daniel Taylor, Thomas B. Waltzek
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Quarterly wildlife mortality report April 2019 Quarterly wildlife mortality report April 2019

No abstract available.
Authors
Bryan J. Richards, Daniel A. Grear, C. LeAnn White, Thierry M. Work, Emily A Underwood
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Report of the technical expert workshop: Developing recommendations for field response, captive management, and rehabilitation of sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis Report of the technical expert workshop: Developing recommendations for field response, captive management, and rehabilitation of sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a disease of sea turtles that primarily manifests as tumors of the skin. Strandings of green turtles with this disease have dramatically increased in the Southeast U.S. over the last decade, necessitating a review of various practices related to the capture, handling, and treatment of afflicted turtles. NOAA and USFWS hosted a workshop in St. Petersburg...
Authors
Brian Stacy, Allen M. Foley, Thierry M. Work, Anne Lauritsen, Barbara Schroeder, Stacy A. Hargrove, Jennifer L. Keene
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Human induced trauma and directed take inhibits sea turtle recovery in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Human induced trauma and directed take inhibits sea turtle recovery in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Sea turtle conservation is often hindered by the lack of reliable information on population status and threats due to sampling difficulties of these highly migratory reptiles that live in remote and data-poor locations. This paper summarizes more than a decade of stranding recoveries (live and dead turtles) on the islands of Saipan and Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands...
Authors
Tammy M. Summers, Irene Kinan Kelly, Thierry M. Work, Jessy R. Hapdei, Joe K. Ruak
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Exploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star Exploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star

Over the past decade, unusual mortality outbreaks have decimated echinoderm populations over broad geographic regions, raising awareness globally of the importance of investigating such events. Echinoderms are key components of marine benthos for top-down and bottom-up regulations of plants and animals; population declines of these individuals can have significant ecosystem-wide effects...
Authors
Laura Nunez-Pons, Thierry M. Work, Carlos Angulo-Preckler, Juan Moles, Conxita Avila
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center

Managing an invasive corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific Managing an invasive corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific

In 2007, a phase shift from corals to corallimorpharians (CM) centered around a shipwreck was documented at Palmyra Atoll, Line Islands. Subsequent surveys revealed CM to be overgrowing the reef benthos, including corals and coralline algae, potentially placing coral ecosystems in the atoll at risk. This prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the lead management agency of the atoll...
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Greta S. Aeby, Benjamin P. Neal, Nichole N. Price, Eric Conklin, Amanda Pollock
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Genomic evolution, recombination, and inter-strain diversity of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis Genomic evolution, recombination, and inter-strain diversity of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis

Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) is a herpesvirus associated with fibropapillomatosis (FP) in sea turtles worldwide. Single-locus typing has previously shown differentiation between Atlantic and Pacific strains of this virus, with low variation within each geographic clade. However, a lack of multi-locus genomic sequence data hinders understanding of the rate and mechanisms of ChHV5
Authors
Cheryl L. Morrison, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Thierry M. Work, Elizabeth Fahsbender, Mya Breitbart, Cynthia R. Adams, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Lakyn Sanders, Mathias Ackermann, Robert S. Cornman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

Validation of ATR FT-IR to identify polymers of plastic marine debris, including those ingested by marine organisms Validation of ATR FT-IR to identify polymers of plastic marine debris, including those ingested by marine organisms

Polymer identification of plastic marine debris can help identify its sources, degradation, and fate. We optimized and validated a fast, simple, and accessible technique, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR), to identify polymers contained in plastic ingested by sea turtles. Spectra of consumer good items with known resin identification codes...
Authors
Melissa R. Jung, F. David Horgen, Sara V. Orski, Viviana Rodriguez, Kathryn L. Beers, George H. Balazs, T. Todd Jones, Thierry M. Work, Kayla C. Brignac, Sarah-Jeanne Royer, David K. Hyrenbach, Brenda A. Jensen, Jennifer M. Lynch
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Identification of Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with fibropapillomatosis in Asia Identification of Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with fibropapillomatosis in Asia

Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating tumor disease of sea turtles, was first identified in green turtles [Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)] in Florida in 1938. In recent decades, FP has been observed globally and is an emerging panzootic disease in sea turtles. However, few reports of FP in Asia exist. Here, we provide the first evidence of Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) DNA...
Authors
Tsung-Hsien Li, Wei-Li Hsu, Yu-Ching Lan, George H. Balazs, Thierry M. Work, Cheng-Tsung Tseng, Chao-Chin Chang
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Beale, A.M., Higgins, R.J., Work, T.M., Bailey, C.S., Smith, M.O., Shinka, T., and Hammock, B.D. (1989). MPTP-induced parkinson-like disease in sheep: Clinical and pathologic findings. Journal of Environmental Pathology and Toxicology 9, 417-428.
Hammock, B.D., Beale, A.M., Work, T.M., Gee, S.J., Gunther, R., Higgins, R.J., Shinka, T., and Castagnoli, N. (1989). A sheep model for MPTP induced parkinson-like symptoms. Life Sciences 45, 1601-1608.
Jessup, D.A., Work, T.M., Bushnell, R., Sawyer, M.M., and Osburn, B.I. (1990). An outbreak of bluetongue in captive deer and adjacent livestock in Kern county, California. California Fish and Game 76, 83-90.
Work, T.M., and Jessup, D.A. (1990). Epidemiology and pathology of hemorrhagic disease in free-ranging black-tailed deer in California: 1986-1987. Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society 26, 72-76.
Work, T.M., Sawyer, M.M., Jessup, D.A., Washino, R.K., and Osburn, B.I. (1990). Effects of anaesthetization and storage temperature on bluetongue virus recovery from Culicoides variipennis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and sheep blood. Journal of medical entomology 27, 331-333.
Work, T.M., Washino, R.K., and Van RIper, I.I.I., C (1990). Comparative susceptibility of Culex tarsalis, Anopheles franciscanus and Culiseta inornata (Diptera: Culicidae) to Plasmodium relictum (Haemosporidia: Plasmodiiae). Journal of medical entomology 27, 68-71.
Work, T.M., Mullens, B.A., and Jessup, D.A. (1991). Estimation of survival and gonotrophic cycle length of Culicoides variipennis (Diptera; Ceratopogonidae) in California. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 7, 242-249.
Fritz, L., Quilliam, M.A., Wright, J.L.C., Beale, A.M., and Work, T.M. (1992). An outbreak of domoic acid poisoning attributed to the pennate diatom Pseudonitzschia australis. J Phycol 28, 439-442.
Work, T.M., Jessup, D.A., and Sawyer, M.M. (1992). Experimental bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus infeciton in black-tailed deer. J Wildl Dis 28, 623-628.
Work, T.M., Barr, B., Beale, A., Fritz, L., Quilliam, M.A., and Wright, J.L.C. (1993). Epidemiology of domoic acid poisoning in brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and Brandt's cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) in California. J Zoo Wildl Med 24, 54-62.
Work, T.M., Beale, A.M., Fritz, L., Quilliam, M.A., Silver, M., Buck, K., and Wright, J. (1993). Domoic acid intoxication of brown pelicans and cormorants in Santa Cruz, California. In Toxic phytoplankton blooms in the sea, T. Smayda, ed. (Copenhagen: Elsiever), pp. 643-649.
Work, T.M., DeLong, R.L., Spraker, T.R., and Melin, S.R. (1993). Halothane anesthesia as a method of immobilizing free-ranging California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). J Zoo Wildl Med 24, 482-487.
Chomel, B.B., Carniciu, M.L., Kasten, R.W., Castelli, P.M., Work, T.M., and Jessup, D.A. (1994). Antibody prevalence of eight ruminant infectious diseases in California mule and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemioneus). J Wildl Dis 30, 51-59.
Patton, J.F., Work, T.M., Jessup, D.A., Hietala, S.K., Oliver, M.N., and MacLachlan, N.J. (1994). Serologic detection of bluetongue virus infection of black-tailed deer:comparison of the serum neutralization, agar gel immunodiffusion, and competitive ELISA assays. J Wildl Dis 30, 99-102.
Paul-Murphy, J., Work, T., Hunter, D.B., McFie, E., and Fjelline, D. (1994). Serologic survey and serum biochemical reference ranges of the free-ranging mountain lion (Felis concolor) in California. J Wildl Dis 30, 205-215.

**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.

*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

Was this page helpful?