USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Journal of Rare Diseases”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2015

The continuing medical mystery of Balkan Endemic Nephropathy

Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN) is a disease of subtle onset and insidious progression that typically occurs between the 4th and 6th decade in long‐resident individuals in highly specific geographic locations of the Balkan region and affects 1 – 5% of the population. Though it does not follow typical Mendelian genetics, there is a familial pattern of occurrence. Although residents may live only a few kilometers apart, certain locations are highly affected while others close by, even as close as across the road, remain unscathed. Because of this geographic selectivity scientists have searched for an environmental cause. It is thought that exposure to the toxic plant Aristolochia clematitis is to blame. Genotoxic N‐heterocyclic or polycyclic aromatic containing coal water leachates entering cultivated soil and drinking water are also a possible cause due to the proximity and predictive power of endemic foci to coal deposits. Evidence for Ochratoxin A fungal poisoning also exists. High levels of phthalates have been measured in BEN‐endemic drinking water. BEN is a probably a multifactorial disease that may result from exposure through some of above‐mentioned environmental sources, with genetic factors contributing. This review will discuss recent research concerning the etiology, potential therapies for the treatment of nephropathy, and unexplored research directions for this chronic kidney disease.

Journal of Rare Diseases↗
USGS2020

Flea parasitism and host survival in a plague-relevant system: Theoretical and conservation implications

Plague is a bacterial zoonosis of mammalian hosts and flea vectors. The disease is capable of ravaging rodent populations and transforming ecosystems. Because plague mortality is likely to be predicted by flea parasitism, it is critical to understand vector dynamics. It has been hypothesized that paltry precipitation and reduced vegetative production predispose herbivorous rodents to malnourishment and flea parasitism, and flea parasitism varies directly with plague mortality. We evaluated these hypotheses on five colonies of Utah prairie dogs (UPDs; Cynomys parvidens ), on the Awapa Plateau, Utah, US, in 2013–16. Ten flea species were identified among 3,257 fleas from UPDs. These 10 flea species parasitize prairie dogs, mice, rats, voles, ground squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots, all known hosts of plague. The abundance of fleas on individual UPDs (1,198 observations) varied inversely with UPD body condition; fleas were most abundant on lightweight, malnourished UPDs. Flea abundance on UPDs was highest in dry years that were preceded by wet years. Increased precipitation and soil moisture in the prior year might generate humid microclimates in UPD burrows (that could facilitate flea survival and reproduction) and paltry precipitation in the current year could predispose UPDs to malnourishment and flea parasitism. Annual re-encounter rates for UPDs (1,072 observations) were reduced in wetter years preceded by drier years; reduced precipitation and vegetative production might kill UPDs, and increased flea densities in drier years could provide conditions for plague transmission (and UPD mortality) when moisture returns. Re-encounter rates were reduced for UPDs carrying at least one flea compared to UPDs with no detected fleas. These results support the hypothesis that reduced precipitation in the current year predisposes UPDs to flea parasitism. Our results also suggest a link between flea parasitism and UPD mortality. Given documented connections between flea parasitism and plague transmission, our results point toward an effect of flea parasitism on plague-related deaths for individual UPDs, a phenomenon rarely investigated in nature.

Utah↗
USGS2001

Guidelines for the field evaluation of desert tortoise health and disease

Field evaluation of free-ranging wildlife requires the systematic documentation of a variety of environmental conditions and individual parameters of health and disease, particularly in the case of rare or endangered species. In addition, defined criteria are needed for the humane salvage of ill or dying animals. The purpose of this paper is to describe, in detail, the preparation, procedures, and protocols we developed and tested for the field evaluation of wild desert tortoises ( Gopherus agassizii ). These guidelines describe: preparations for the field, including developing familiarity with tortoise behavior and ecology, and preparation of standardized data sheets; journal notes to document background data on weather conditions, temperature, rainfall, locality, and historic and recent human activities; procedures to prevent the spread of disease and parasites; data sheets for live tortoises to record tortoise identification, location, sex, body measurements and activity; health profile forms for documenting and grading physical abnormalities of tortoise posture and movements, general condition (e.g., lethargy, cachexia), external parasites, and clinical abnormalities associated with shell and upper respiratory diseases; permanent photographic records for the retrospective analysis of progression and regression of upper respiratory and eye diseases, analysis of shell lesions and evaluation of growth and age; and indications and methods for salvaging ill or dying tortoises for necropsy evaluation. These guidelines, tested on 5,000 to 20,000 tortoises over a 10 to 27 yr period, were designed to maximize acquisition of data for demographic, ecological, health and disease research projects; to reduce handling and stress of individual animals; to avoid spread of infectious disease; to promote high quality and consistent data sets; and to reduce the duration and number of field trips. The field methods are adapted for desert tortoise life cycle, behavior, anatomy, physiology, and pertinent disease; however the model is applicable to other species of reptiles. Comprehensive databases of clinical signs of disease and health are crucial to research endeavors and essential to decisions on captive release, epidemiology of disease, translocation of wild tortoises, breeding programs, and euthanasia.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS2001

Serologic survey for canine coronavirus in wolves from Alaska

Wolves ( Canis lupus ) were captured in three areas of Interior Alaska (USA). Four hundred twenty-five sera were tested for evidence of exposure to canine coronavirus by means of an indirect fluorescent antibody procedure. Serum antibody prevalence averaged 70% (167/240) during the spring collection period and 25% (46/185) during the autumn collection period. Prevalence was 0% (0/42) in the autumn pup cohort (age 4-5 mo), and 60% (58/97) in the spring pup cohort (age 9-10 mo). Prevalence was lowest in the Eastern Interior study area. A statistical model indicates that prevalence increased slightly each year in all three study areas. These results indicate that transmission occurs primarily during the winter months, antibody decay is quite rapid, and reexposure during the summer is rare.

Alaska↗
USGS2017

Contact and contagion: Probability of transmission given contact varies with demographic state in bighorn sheep

Understanding both contact and probability of transmission given contact are key to managing wildlife disease. However, wildlife disease research tends to focus on contact heterogeneity, in part because the probability of transmission given contact is notoriously difficult to measure. Here, we present a first step towards empirically investigating the probability of transmission given contact in free-ranging wildlife. We used measured contact networks to test whether bighorn sheep demographic states vary systematically in infectiousness or susceptibility to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae , an agent responsible for bighorn sheep pneumonia. We built covariates using contact network metrics, demographic information and infection status, and used logistic regression to relate those covariates to lamb survival. The covariate set contained degree, a classic network metric describing node centrality, but also included covariates breaking the network metrics into subsets that differentiated between contacts with yearlings, ewes with lambs, and ewes without lambs, and animals with and without active infections. Yearlings, ewes with lambs, and ewes without lambs showed similar group membership patterns, but direct interactions involving touch occurred at a rate two orders of magnitude higher between lambs and reproductive ewes than between any classes of adults or yearlings, and one order of magnitude higher than direct interactions between multiple lambs. Although yearlings and non-reproductive bighorn ewes regularly carried M. ovipneumoniae , our models suggest that a contact with an infected reproductive ewe had approximately five times the odds of producing a lamb mortality event of an identical contact with an infected dry ewe or yearling. Consequently, management actions targeting infected animals might lead to unnecessary removal of young animals that carry pathogens but rarely transmit. This analysis demonstrates a simple logistic regression approach for testing a priori hypotheses about variation in the odds of transmission given contact for free-ranging hosts, and may be broadly applicable for investigations in wildlife disease ecology.

Journal of Animal Ecology↗
USGS2024

Effective field sampling of rectoanal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue for antemortem chronic wasting disease testing in white-tailed deer

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease of cervids that has spread across much of North America. Although gold standard CWD diagnostics involve postmortem testing of medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes or obex (brain stem), a key tissue sample for antemortem testing is rectoanal mucosa–associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT). However, collection of an adequate sample (i.e., enough lymphoid follicles) may be affected by factors such as deer age, repeated sampling, skill of the sampler, and adverse conditions during collection. Here, we document the protocol used to train personnel for RAMALT collection in a large study of free-ranging white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) in Wisconsin, USA, and determine factors that contributed to the occurrence of inadequate RAMALT samples. Our training protocol included hands-on experience with postmortem tissues, as well as a mentored collection process in the field. Collection of RAMALT under field conditions was highly successful, with 763/806 (94.7%) samples deemed adequate for subsequent testing. Although inadequate samples were rare, they were more likely to occur with older deer and when samples were collected at dusk (i.e., limited ambient lighting). We conclude that RAMALT collection can be highly successful under adverse field conditions, including with technicians with limited prior veterinary experience, and we provide details of our training program to facilitate repeatability in other antemortem CWD testing efforts.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1984

Recuperation of a severely debilitated wolf

Opportunities are rare for determining the degree to which an animal can starve and still survive. Therefore we describe here an incident in which a wild wolf ( Canis lupus ) starved almost to death and was then restored to her former free-ranging state. The incident took place in northern Lake County, Minnesota

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS2013

Environmental management of mosquito-borne viruses in Rhode Island

West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) are both primarily bird viruses, which can be transmitted by several mosquito species. Differences in larval habitats, flight, and biting patterns of the primary vector species result in substantial differences in epidemiology, with WNV more common, primarily occurring in urban areas, and EEEV relatively rare, typically occurring near swamp habitats. The complex transmission ecology of these viruses complicates prediction of disease outbreaks. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and Department of Health (DoH) provide prevention assistance to towns and maintain a mosquito surveillance program to identify potential disease risk. Responses to potential outbreaks follow a protocol based on surveillance results, assessment of human risk, and technical consultation.

Rhode Island↗
USGS2011

Seroepidemiology of TmPV1 infection in captive and wild Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

In 1997, cutaneous papillomatosis caused by Florida manatee ( Trichechus manatus latirostris [Tm]) papillomavirus 1 (TmPV1) was detected in seven captive manatees at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, Florida, USA, and, subsequently, in two wild manatees from the adjacent Homosassa River. Since then, papillomatosis has been reported in captive manatees housed in other locations, but not in wild animals. To determine TmPV1 antibody prevalence in captive and wild manatees sampled at various locations throughout Florida coastal regions, virus-like particles, composed of the L1 capsid protein of TmPV1, were generated with a baculovirus expression system and used to measure anti-TmPV1 antibodies in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serologic analysis of 156 manatees revealed a TmPV1 antibody prevalence of 26.3%, with no significant difference between captive ( n =39) and wild ( n =117) manatees (28.2% and 25.6%, respectively). No antibody-positive wild animal showed PV-induced cutaneous lesions, whereas papillomatosis was observed in 72.7% of antibody-positive captive manatees. Our data indicate that Florida manatees living in the wild are naturally infected by TmPV1 but rarely show TmPV1-induced papillomatosis. Hence, it appears that the wild population would not be harmed in a case of contact with captive animals without visible lesions and productive infections, which could be thus released into the wild.

Florida↗
USGS1995

Captive propagation, introduction, and translocation programs for wildlife vertebrates

Captive propagation, introduction, and translocation (relocation) programs for many animals have been undertaken by federal, state, and private agencies for more than 20 years. These programs help aid the recovery of endangered and threatened species, reestablish lost species, augment declining populations, increase recreational opportunities, reduce nuisance species, and introduce non-native species. Davidson and Nettles (1992) discuss translocation as a component of successful early restorations of game species including wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) and white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), and recovery of endangered species such as the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). Despite some successes, the total number of translocations that occur yearly is unknown, as is the success and effects of these programs, because there is rarely appreciable monitoring after release (Griffith et al. 1989; Gogan 1990). This report focuses on trends in the use of translocation programs and disease transmission following translocation of wildlife vertebrates other than fish. In the absence of a national data base on wildlife translocations, a search for publications with information on translocations was performed by using Wildlife Review and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Reference Service CD-ROM data bases for the 20-year period, 1971-91. In addition, personnel from multiple federal, state, and private agencies that conduct propagation and translocation programs were contacted for supplemental information and literature. Increasing numbers of books (Neilsen and Brown 1988), journals (Ullrey 1993), and meetings (Junge 1992; Wolff and Seal 1992) discuss wildlife translocations and many contain information on the effects of translocations on animals and their environment.

Book chapter↗
USGS2018

Applying a Bayesian weighted surveillance approach to detect chronic wasting disease in white‐tailed deer

Surveillance is critical for early detection of emerging and re‐emerging infectious diseases. Weighted surveillance leverages heterogeneity in infection risk to increase sampling efficiency. Here, we apply a Bayesian approach to estimate weights for 16 surveillance classes of white‐tailed deer in Wisconsin, USA, relative to hunter‐harvested yearling males. We used these weights to conduct a surveillance programme for detecting chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white‐tailed deer at Shenandoah National Park (SHEN) in Virginia, USA. Generally, for surveillance, risk of infection increased with age and was greater in males. Clinical suspect deer had the highest risk, with weight estimates of 33.33 and 9.09 for community‐reported and hunter‐reported suspect deer, respectively. Fawns had the lowest risk with an estimated weight of 0.001. We used surveillance weights for Wisconsin deer to determine sampling effort required to detect a CWD‐positive case in SHEN if prevalence in yearling males ≥0.025. The sampling required to detect CWD was 37–91 adult deer, depending on the adult male:female ratio in the surveillance stream. We collected rectal biopsies from 49 female and 21 male adult deer, and 10 additional samples from vehicle‐killed deer. CWD was not detected and we concluded with 95% probability that prevalence in the reference population (yearling males) was between 0.0% and 3.6%. Synthesis and applications . Our approach allows managers to estimate relative surveillance weights for different host classes and quantify limits of disease detection in real time when only a sample of animals from a population can be tested, resulting in considerable cost savings for agencies performing wildlife disease detection surveillance. Additionally, it provides a rigorous means of estimating prevalence limits when a disease/pathogen is not detected in a sample set. It is therefore applicable to other wildlife, domestic animal and human disease systems, which can be characterized by surveillance classes with heterogeneous probability of infection. This methodology is also extendable to other disciplines such as invasive species, environmental toxicology, and generally, any ecological question seeking to efficiently use scarce financial and human resources to maximize the detection probability of a rare event.

Journal of Applied Ecology↗
USGS2018

Risk factors associated with mortality of age-0 Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania

Evidence of disease and mortalities of young of the year (age‐0) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu has occurred during the late spring and summer in many parts of the Susquehanna River watershed since 2005. To better understand contributing factors, fish collected from multiple areas throughout the watershed as well as out‐of‐basin reference populations (Allegheny and Delaware River basins; experimental ponds, Kearneysville, West Virginia) were examined grossly and histologically for abnormalities. Tissue contaminant concentrations were determined from whole‐body homogenates, and water contaminant concentrations were estimated using time‐integrated passive samplers at selected sites. Observed or isolated pathogens included bacteria, predominantly motile Aeromonas spp. and Flavobacterium columnare ; largemouth bass virus, and parasites, including trematode metacercariae, cestodes, and the myxozoan Myxobolus inornatus . Although these pathogens were found in age‐0 Smallmouth Bass from multiple sites, no one pathogen was consistently associated with mortality. Chemicals detected in tissue included polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, organochlorine, and current‐use pesticides. Pyraclostrobin, PCB congeners 170 and 187, cis ‐chlordane and trans ‐nonachlor were detected in all Susquehanna watershed samples but rarely in samples from the reference site. The findings support the idea that there is no single cause for disease of age‐0 Smallmouth Bass; rather the cumulative effects of co‐infections and potential immunomodulation by environmental stressors during a sensitive developmental life stage may lead to mortality. Identifying the most important risk factors will be necessary for more in‐depth analyses of individual stressors and better management of the habitat and fish populations.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1956

Ringworm in a population of snowshoe hares

The occurrence of ringworm, or dermatomycosis, in wild animals has been rarely reported. DeLamater (1939) described infections of Trichophyton mentagrophytes in common gray squirrels on and near the Johns Hopkins University campus at Baltimore. Errington (1942) and Charles (1946) reported on the occurrence of T. mentagrophytes in 35 of 364 litters (9.6%) of muskrats ( Ondatra zibethicus zibethicus ) in northwestern Iowa. Ninety-eight of 134 members (73%) of infected litters were recorded as contracting the fungus disease; of the 98, 90 died. Paul (1917), Lawrence (1918), and Connor (1932) mentioned ringworm epidemics of T. mentagrophytes among mice in wheat stacks of New South Wales and Victoria.

Montana↗
USGS2019

Leptospirosis in Northern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Washington

We diagnosed leptospirosis in six northern sea otters ( Enhydra lutris kenyoni ) that stranded on beaches in Washington, US in 2002. Significant gross findings included cyanotic oral mucous membranes, renal swelling, congestion or pale streaks on the cut surface of the lobules, hematuria, dehydration, lymphadenopathy, pulmonary congestion and rarely adrenal hemorrhage and congestion. Histopathology showed lymphoplasmacytic tubulointerstitial nephritis with intraluminal spirochetes and immunoreactivity to leptospiral antigens in the renal tubules and interstitium. qPCR using kidney or urine for the leptospiral lipL32 gene was positive with cycle threshold values indicative of abundant or moderate amounts of nucleic acid. A microscopic agglutination test showed the highest serum antibody titer to serovar Pomona and titers to serovars Autumnalis, Bratislava, Hebdomadis, Grippo, Ictero, Pyrogenes, Ballum, Canicola, and Hardjo. While antibodies to Leptospira interrogans have been previously detected in sea otters, there are no reports of disease or descriptions of pathology.

Washington↗
USGS1997

Introgression and susceptibility to disease in a wild population of rainbow trout

We examined susceptibility of wild rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss from the Metolius River, a tributary of the Deschutes River, Oregon, to genetic introgression and cerato myxosis as a result of stocking nonnative hatchery rainbow trout. Ceratomyxa shasta , an enzootic myxosporean parasite that can be lethal to nonnative hatchery rainbow trout, might have been limiting the interbreeding of hatchery and wild rainbow trout in the river. However, rainbow trout from the Metolius River had allozyme frequencies intermediate between those of wild and hatchery fish at LDH‐82* and sSOD‐1* , two diagnostic genetic loci that allow the inland subspecies of rainbow trout to be distinguished from hatchery strains of coastal origin. They also had notable frequencies of ADA‐1 *85 , an allele documented in hatchery rainbow trout but rarely seen in wild populations. We also found that rainbow trout in the Metolius River averaged 138.9 scales in the lateral series, intermediate between the counts for 9 coastal or nonnative hatchery populations, which always had fewer than 140 scales, and 10 inland populations, which always had more than 140 scales. Disease challenges revealed that rainbow trout from the Metolius River had much greater susceptibility to C. shasta than rainbow trout from the Deschutes River, which have genetic resistance to the lethal disease. Based on these data, we concluded that introgression with nonnative hatchery rainbow trout has reduced the abilities of wild rainbow trout in the Metolius River to survive when conditions for ceratomyxosis infection occur.

Oregon↗
USGS2002

Availability of food resources, distribution of invasive species, and conservation of a Hawaiian bird along a gradient of elevation

Aim: We evaluated how an elevation gradient affects: (1) the availability of food required by a specialist seed-eater, Loxioides bailleui Oustalet (Drepanidinae), or pallia, and hence the distribution of this endangered Hawaiian bird, and (2) the distribution of alien threats to Loxioides populations, their primary foods, and their dry-forest habitat, and hence strategies for their conservation. Location: We worked throughout the subalpine forest that encircles Mauna Kea Volcano, Hawai'i Island, but we focused our studies mainly on the western slope between 2000 and 3000 m elevation, where the gradient of elevation was greatest and palila were most abundant. Methods: We determined phenology and productivity patterns of the endemic dry-forest tree species, Sophora chrysophylla (Salisb.) Seem. (Fabaceae), or ma??mane, which provides Loxioides with most of their food, and another common endemic tree, Myoporum sandwicense A. Gray (Myoporaceae), or naio, which provides some resources, along a 786-m elevation gradient at monthly intervals for 10 years (Sophora only). We also determined the availability each month of moth larvae (Lepidoptera) for that were important in the diet of nestling and adult palila. In addition, we documented the incidence of parasitism on moth larvae by several wasp (Hymenoptera) and fly (Diptera) species, and we determined the distribution of predatory wasps and ants (Hymenoptera), which potentially threaten insect prey of birds. Percentage cover of alien grass species that pose fire threats in palila habitat and other weeds were assessed during one survey. Small mammal abundance and distribution were determined by trapping during three (rodent) or five (carnivore) surveys. Results: Sophora flower and seed (pod) availability varied predictably along the elevation gradient, with about 4 months separating peaks in reproduction at high and low elevations. This, together with highly variable production of flowers and pods within elevation strata, resulted in Sophora resources being available to Loxioides throughout the year on the western slope of Mauna Kea. Sophora produced flowers and pods more seasonally where gradients of elevation were short; thus, resources were available less consistently. In contrast, Myoporum produced flowers and fruits with little variation with respect to season or elevation. The availability of important insect prey of Loxioides was also related to elevation, in part because threats to Lepidoptera larvae from parasitic wasps were generally less at higher elevations. Threats to insect prey from predatory ants was also less at higher elevations but the abundance of predatory wasps was not related to elevation. Several weeds that pose the most serious threats to Loxioides habitat were more abundant at mid and low elevations, and alien grass cover was somewhat greater at mid elevation, thereby increasing fire risks in the centre of Loxioides habitat. Predatory mammals, in particular Felis catus Linnaeus, were common throughout the subalpine forest of Mauna Kea. However, Rattus rattus Linnaeus was rare, especially at higher elevations, whereas Mus musculus Linnaeus was more abundant at lower elevations. Main conclusions: Loxioides are concentrated in habitat that is distributed along a substantial gradient of elevation at least in part because food is available throughout the year and threats to food resources are less concentrated. To recover Loxioides elsewhere in its former range, habitats must be restored and alien threats reduced along extensive elevation gradients. Conservation along environmental gradients will likely benefit other Hawaiian birds that track the availability of food across landscapes or that have been stranded in the higher portions of their original ranges because of the greater impacts of alien diseases, predators, food competitors, and habitat stressors at lower elevations.

Journal of Biogeography↗
USGS2014

Fatal paralytic shellfish poisoning in Kittlitz's Murrelet ( Brachyramphus brevirostris ) nestlings, Alaska, USA

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is an acute toxic illness in humans resulting from ingestion of shellfish contaminated with a suite of neurotoxins (saxitoxins) produced by marine dinoflagellates, most commonly in the genus Alexandrium . Poisoning also has been sporadically suspected and, less often, documented in marine wildlife, often in association with an outbreak in humans. Kittlitz's Murrelet ( Brachyramphus brevirostris ) is a small, rare seabird of the Northern Pacific with a declining population. From 2008 to 2012, as part of a breeding ecology study, multiple Kittlitz's Murrelet nests on Kodiak Island, Alaska, were monitored by remote cameras. During the 2011 and 2012 breeding seasons, nestlings from several sites died during mild weather conditions. Remote camera observations revealed that the nestlings died shortly after consuming sand lance ( Ammodytes hexapterus ), a fish species known to biomagnify saxitoxin. High levels of saxitoxin were subsequently documented in crop content in 87% of nestling carcasses. Marine bird deaths from PSP may be underreported.

Alaska↗