 Science Feature
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Bats Still Haunted by Deadly Fungus
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 Spotlights
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A deadly disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes continues to afflict people and wildlife in the United States. Human deaths from West Nile virus (WNV) are alarmingly high for 2012, as this year is on track to become the worst West Nile virus epidemic ever in the United States.
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Dr. Hofmeister, an expert in mosquito-borne diseases, says wild birds, which are the primary reservoirs for West Nile virus, might help explain the sudden spike in human infections this year. He refers to evidence collected by NWHC scientists, among others, that shows certain bird species, such as gray catbirds and northern cardinals, in particular regions can develop antibodies to the virus.
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VOA Television covered the USGS Congressional Briefing, Global Threats from Emerging Wildlife Diseases and Invasive Species, in November 2011 and interviewed NWHC Director Jonathan Sleeman among others.
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Massive die-offs of amphibians are often caused by ranaviruses. USGS scientists have isolated ranaviruses associated with die-offs in over 25 states involving more than 20 species of turtles and amphibians in mortality events ranging from one to thousands of individuals affected.
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USGS and a network of partners across the country work on documenting wildlife mortality events, in order to provide timely and accurate information on locations, species and causes of death.
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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC), the USGS Fort Collins Science Center, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners continue to play a primary role in WNS research. Studies conducted at NWHC led to the discovery, characterization, and naming (Gargas and others, 2009) of the cold-loving fungus G. destructans and to the development of standardized criteria for diagnosing the disease (Blehert and others, 2009).
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 NWHC in the News
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More NWHC news...
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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
