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Only one virus, Avipox, has been documented in wild birds in Hawaii. Here, using immunohistochemistry and PCR, we found that two native threatened Hawaiian geese, one with multicentric histiocytoma and another with toxoplasmosis and one Laysan albatross with avian pox were infected with reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV). The virus was isolated from one of the geese by cell culture. PCR surveys of other Hawaiian geese with various pathologies, avian pox cases, and pox viral isolates failed to reveal REV suggesting the virus is uncommon, at least in samples examined. The full genome of the Gag, Pol, and Env genes were sequenced for all three infected birds and revealed geographic divergence of the Pol gene suggesting...
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Invasive rodents on islands have adverse impacts on native birds in island ecosystems, and rats are the most common culprits. Recently, house mice (Mus musculus) in the South Atlantic were found preying on three species of albatross chicks. Here, we show that house mice can also prey on nesting adult Laysan albatross (Phoebastrea immutabilis) on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (USA). In contrast to mouse attacks on albatross in the South Atlantic where mice targeted the rump and crown of chicks, on Midway, mice targeted nesting adults mainly on the back. For both regions, the outcome was similar with reduced nesting success. In the case of Midway, reduced nesting success was due to nest abandonment or mortality...
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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 collections and P. australasiensis was recently identified as the cause of skin infections in non-native wild panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) in Florida, USA. Here we describe five cases of Paranannizziopsis spp. associated with skin lesions in wild snakes in North America and one additional case from a captive snake...
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The validity of Myotis occultus as a species unique from M. lucifugus has been a source of debate. Most recently, many authorities treat M. occultus as a distinct species, at least in part because a previous study showed that M. occultus and M. l. carissima (the subspecies that occurs in closest proximity to M. occultus) form separate monophyletic clades based on sequences of two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome-b [cytb] and cytochrome oxidase subunit II [COII]). We re-evaluated the phylogenetic relationship between M. occultus and M. lucifugus based on mitochondrial sequences using an expanded dataset of cytb and COII sequences that originated from more genetically diverse specimens of M. lucifugus collected across...
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Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal, contagious, neuro-degenerative disease affecting multiple members of the Family Cervidae. First detected in 1967, the disease has, as of April 2024, been documented in free-ranging and/or captive cervid populations in 33 states, five Canadian provinces, the Republic of South Korea, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The data provided here contains information on the known, available, documented distribution of CWD in the United States that is current as of the publication date. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) tracks changes to the known distribution of CWD in the form of a map (available on the NWHC website at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/expanding-distribution-chronic-wasting-disease....
Categories: Data, Data Release - Revised; Types: Citation; Tags: Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, All tags...
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We conducted a serosurvey of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) for vector-borne pathogens in 2016-2017 that were captured in the Hiawatha National Forest in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. At capture, in addition to age, sex, body weight of the hare and a blood sample data was collected on the ecological land type (USDA Forest Service. 2006. Hiawatha National Forest 2006 Forest Plan. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/hiawatha/landmanagement/planning/?cid=STELPRDB5106336) at the point of capture. Serology was conducted for antibodies to Snowshoe hare virus, Jamestown Canyon virus, La Crosse virus, West Nile virus, tick-transmitted Powassan virus, Silverwater virus, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Francisella...
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From 2010-2018 we investigated the occurrence of avian influenza antibody in wild birds in Iceland. A total of 2453 serum samples were collected from wild birds. We tested all samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for evidence of previous exposure to avian influenza virus with 1302 testing positive.
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 of SFD in these specimens was >50 years prior to the disease’s reported emergence.
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 neonicotinoid toxicity model using zebra finches as a model passerine. We have completed two acute toxicity trials using CTD insecticide. Based on these studies, we estimate the no observable effect level (NOAEL) and the lowest observable effect level (LOAEL) for CTD in zebra finches to be 15 and 30 mg/kg body weight, respectively,...
As harmful algal blooms (HABs) increase in magnitude and duration worldwide, they are becoming an expanding threat to marine wildlife. Over the past decade, domoic acid (DA) and saxitoxin (STX) have been increasingly problematic bicoastally in the United States. We investigated pooled seabird mortality data from opportunistic sampling events between 2007-2018, across three states, to examine the patterns and role of DA and STX in seabird mortality events from the continental United States. Patterns in DA and STX levels and affected tissue type were reviewed, and two specific accounts of localized and pervasive event types were examined. There has been increased toxin detection with expanded tissue testing during...
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 west coast of North and Central America and Hawaii. Seven % (9/127) of pelagic and 47% (21/44) of stranded turtles had renal granulomas associated with S. Typhimurium. Stranded animals were 12 times more likely than pelagic animals to have Salmonella-induced nephritis suggesting that Salmonella may have been a contributing cause...
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North American bats have experienced catastrophic population declines from white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Although Pd can infect many hibernating bat species, population-level impacts of WNS vary by host species. Microbial skin assemblages, including the fungal component (mycobiome), can influence host resistance to infectious diseases; however, little is known about the influence the skin mycobiome of bats may have on susceptibility to WNS. We sampled ten bat species in the eastern United States that are known to be either susceptible, tolerant, or resistant to WNS by swabbing their wing skin. We then cultured fungi from the swabs, isolated morphologically...
To investigate the role of migratory birds in the dissemination of West Nile virus (WNV), we measured the prevalence of infectious WNV and specific WNV neutralizing antibodies in birds, principally Passeriformes, during spring and fall migrations in the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways from 2001-2003. Blood samples were obtained from 13,403 birds, representing 133 species. Specific WNV neutralizing antibody was detected in 254 resident and migratory birds, representing 39 species, and was most commonly detected in northern cardinals ( Cardinalis cardinalis ) (9.8%, N = 762) and gray catbirds ( Dumetella carolinensis ) (3.2%, N = 3188). West Nile virus viremias were detected in 19 birds, including 8 gray catbirds,...
During 2010 to 2013, waterbird mortality surveillance programs used a shared protocol for shoreline walking surveys performed June to November at three areas in northern Lake Michigan. In 2010 and 2012, 1244 total carcasses (0.8 dead bird/km walked) and 2399 total carcasses (1.2 dead birds/km walked), respectively, were detected. Fewer carcasses were detected in 2011 (353 total carcasses, 0.2 dead bird/km walked) and 2013 (451 total carcasses, 0.3 dead bird/km walked). During 3 years, peak detection of carcasses occurred in October and involved primarily migratory diving and fish-eating birds, including long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis; 2010), common loons (Gavia immer; 2012), and red-breasted mergansers (Mergus...
These data were collected as part of a field trial to test the efficacy of a sylvatic plague vaccine (see Rocke et al., 2017 for details). Vaccine and control plots were selected randomly from the available sites at each location. At least 1 week and no more than 2 months post-baiting each year, local collaborators captured, marked and sampled prairie dogs for a minimum of 3 trap days. Both plots in a pair were trapped on the same day, and trap effort (number of traps and trap days) between plots of the same pair was similar with few exceptions. Fleas were collected from up to 50 unique prairie dogs from each plot each year. Sex, age, weight, and foot length were recorded for each captured animal. In the laboratory,...
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 cellular abnormalities. At euthanasia, spleen and bursa of Fabricius were collected and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histopathological assessment. Slides were processed and stained with hematoxalin and eosin as per standard procedure (Luna 1968). Quantitative and qualitative B and T cell parameters were assessed...
This data set is composed of data collected from an experimental study inoculating mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) with Saxitoxin and associated control ducks. Data includes the specific of inoculation, observational behavioral data, daily weights, dosing, results of inoculation, testing of samples collected throughout the study, and necropsy results.
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Animal identification number, weight in grams for carcasses of California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) CTS and Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) SCLT from Prospect or Ellicott Pond, on Ellicott Slough National Wildlife Refuge, California U.S.A. submitted to U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) for determination of cause of death. NWHC Case 29381. MSF Sequence file used to construct a phylogenetic tree. Sequences were generated from samples at NWHC (Px) and using BLAST (https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi) they were compared for base pair similarities with publicly available sequences from GenBank. Sequences selected for the Multi Sequence...
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Adult AG129 mice (129/Sv background deficient in alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) and IFN-Ɣ receptors) were infected with recombinant Monkeypox virus (MPXV)expressing firefly luciferase by either intranasal (IN) or intraperitoneal (IP) routes. Experimental infections were conducted in a BSL-3 laboratory at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, with a clade II MPXV that expresses firefly luciferase, as described in Osorio et. al, 2009 (MPXV/USA/luc). Twelve AG129 mice (8 males and 4 females) were infected intranasally with 105 plaque forming units (PFU) (5 ul, each nostril) of MPXV/USA/luc. Three control mice were inoculated in the same manner with an equal volume of PBS. Bioluminescent imaging was performed using...
map background search result map search result map Prevalence of West Nile virus in migratory birds during spring and fall migration, 2001-2003 Avian botulism type E in waterbirds of Lake Michigan, 2010-2013 Chronic Wasting Disease distribution in the United States by state and county (ver. 2.0, April 2024) Sylvatic plague vaccine field trials flea data Skin mycobiomes of eastern North American bats Domoic acid and saxitoxin in seabirds from California and Rhode Island 2015-2017 Mouse predation on Laysan albatross Confirmed cases of snake fungal disease in historical museum specimens Carcass weights, 28S rRNA alignment file and parasite sample vouchers collected from California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) CTS and Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) SCLT from Prospect or Ellicott Pond, on Ellicott Slough National Wildlife Refuge, California U.S.A. recorded September 11, 2019 Data set on reticuloendotheliosis in Hawaiian birds Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from Myotis lucifugus and Myotis occultus Luminescence of AG129 mice infected with recombinant Monkeypox virus expressing firefly luciferase 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 Serologic Survey of Selected Arthropod Borne Pathogens in Free-ranging Snowshoe Hares (Lepus americanus) Captured in Northern Michigan, USA Dataset: Sero-surveillance for avian influenza exposure in wild birds in Iceland, 2012-2017 Luminescence of AG129 mice infected with recombinant Monkeypox virus expressing firefly luciferase Serologic Survey of Selected Arthropod Borne Pathogens in Free-ranging Snowshoe Hares (Lepus americanus) Captured in Northern Michigan, USA Avian botulism type E in waterbirds of Lake Michigan, 2010-2013 Dataset: Sero-surveillance for avian influenza exposure in wild birds in Iceland, 2012-2017 Data set on reticuloendotheliosis in Hawaiian birds Sylvatic plague vaccine field trials flea data Skin mycobiomes of eastern North American bats Domoic acid and saxitoxin in seabirds from California and Rhode Island 2015-2017 Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from Myotis lucifugus and Myotis occultus Chronic Wasting Disease distribution in the United States by state and county (ver. 2.0, April 2024) 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 Prevalence of West Nile virus in migratory birds during spring and fall migration, 2001-2003 Confirmed cases of snake fungal disease in historical museum specimens