Publications by authors named "Nicole M Nemeth"

The objective of this study was to characterize from Florida, USA and to determine if rabbits and squirrels share the same species. From July 2022-November 2024, 19 suspected mange (i.e.

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Anseriformes (waterfowl) and Charadriiformes (shorebirds) are well-recognized natural reservoirs of low pathogenic (LP) influenza A viruses (IAVs). Historically, LP IAVs circulate among healthy individuals during seasonal, and often transcontinental, migrations. However, following the introduction of clade 2.

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Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease that exemplifies the One Health interface due to its global distribution and diversity of hosts in which it can infect and potentially cause disease. While T. gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, has been well-described in many wildlife taxa, including wild and domestic birds and mammals, there is limited published research on clinical disease in wild lagomorphs and rodents.

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Unlabelled: Anthropogenic land use impacts infectious diseases at the wildlife-domestic-human interface by changing host spatial distribution, behavior, density, and population dynamics. Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in many wild and domestic animals. Given the propensity of CDV to infect synanthropic mesocarnivores, it is important to investigate host and environmental factors affecting mesocarnivore CDV infection.

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Background: Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is a metastrongyloid parasite that uses rodents as definitive hosts, mollusks as intermediate hosts, and a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species as paratenic hosts. Although this parasite poses a significant public health concern in many regions of the world, it can also cause disease in numerous domestic and wildlife aberrant host species. When parasite larvae are ingested by one of these aberrant hosts, larval migration in the central nervous system causes extensive damage, resulting in spinal cord and/or brain damage and inflammation, leading to potentially fatal neurological disease.

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Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are a taxonomically varied group of viruses that affect the health of many avian species, including the ruffed grouse (), a popular upland game bird whose numbers are in decline in portions of its range. Hunter-harvested ruffed grouse tissue samples were tested for arboviruses during the 2018-2022 hunting seasons in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, USA. A low percentage of harvested ruffed grouse were infected with West Nile virus (8/1892; 0.

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Hypertrophic osteopathy (HO) is a condition in which periosteal bone forms along long bone diaphyses and metaphyses. Lesions generally affect all 4 limbs, and often involve the distal portions. The pathogenesis is incompletely understood, and many, but not all, cases are associated with concurrent neoplasia or space-occupying masses.

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Aspergillosis is the most commonly and widely reported fungal infection in birds. Disease development is often secondary to stressors that cause immunocompromise, and it is typically regarded as a disease of captivity. We retrospectively evaluated data from 133 birds diagnosed with aspergillosis at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study from 2001-2023 to assess diversity and relative frequency across avian taxa, gross and histologic lesion patterns, and comorbidities.

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This report describes a case of generalized knemidokoptic mange caused by Micnemidocoptes sp. in a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). In June 2024, an adult male eagle from Polk County, Arkansas, presented with severe skin disease and in a moribund state.

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The ability to rapidly respond to wildlife health events is essential. However, such events are often unpredictable, especially with anthropogenic disturbances and climate-related environmental changes driving unforeseen threats. Many events also are short-lived and go undocumented, making it difficult to draw on lessons learned from past investigations.

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We describe a mortality event involving at least 44 adult American robins () that were found dead on the morning of February 25, 2023 in a residential backyard in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Five carcasses were submitted for diagnostic evaluation. All five robins were in good nutritional and feather condition with no external indicators of injury or illness.

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  • The black skimmer is a threatened seabird in Florida facing various conservation challenges, including habitat loss and severe weather, which were observed during nest monitoring between 2020 and 2022.
  • Juvenile skimmers exhibited serious health issues like polyarthritis, often linked to penetrating sandspurs causing skin and joint infections, with many birds in poor nutritional state and dehydrated.
  • Research findings indicate a connection between skin damage from sandspurs and subsequent joint infections, suggesting that additional evaluations and management practices are needed to improve the health of these birds.
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  • Researchers in Key Largo, Florida, studied black rats to explore the impact of diseases or parasites on their declining population, discovering that 94% of the sampled rats were infected with Sarcocystis sp.
  • The identified strain of Sarcocystis was closely related to a newly described parasite, Sarcocystis kani, which primarily uses Asian snakes as hosts and affects rodents.
  • The increase of invasive Burmese pythons in the area likely contributes to the spread of this parasite and adds predation pressure on local wildlife, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and studies on parasites affecting both snakes and rodents in south Florida.
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  • The Wild Turkey, a significant game bird in North America, has faced health risks due to population declines and diseases like histomonosis caused by the parasite Histomonas meleagridis.
  • A study from 2002 to 2023 found that out of 857 turkeys examined, 4% had trichomonad disease, with a variety of trichomonads found, indicating a more complex disease landscape than previously understood.
  • Coinfections with other diseases and pathogens were common among affected turkeys, underscoring the necessity for advanced molecular diagnostics to accurately identify the causes of illness.
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A subadult Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) was found dead near a fishing pier in Florida, USA. Necropsy revealed abundant sand accumulation throughout the intestines. Fibrinous coelomitis with isolation of mixed bacteria, including Enterobacter cloacae complex, suggests secondary intestinal compromise.

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  • Trichomonas gypaetinii was found in 88% of Bald Eagles sampled, indicating it is common among this species in the USA.
  • No Golden Eagles tested positive for the parasite, suggesting a species-specific prevalence.
  • Despite the high rate of infection in Bald Eagles, none showed any related health issues or lesions.
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Clinostomum spp. are common parasites of piscivorous birds. Metacercaria are typically observed in the muscles or just under the skin of fish and rarely amphibians.

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Interest in causes of mortality of free-ranging, native North American lagomorphs has grown with the emergence of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2). Over the years 2013-2022, the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study received 119 spp. case submissions from the central and eastern United States, comprising 147 rabbits.

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  • Wild turkeys are declining in various regions of the US, including Kentucky, prompting studies to assess their health.
  • A study analyzed 36 hunter-harvested wild turkeys from western Kentucky, finding them in fair to good condition with common parasite presence but no serious health issues.
  • Pathogen testing revealed some birds had viruses and bacteria, and further research is needed to understand the implications of these findings on turkey populations.
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  • Lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) was first recognized in wild turkeys in North America in 2009 and can lead to symptoms like lymphoid proliferation, although infections are often subclinical.
  • A study inoculated domestic turkeys to assess LPDV transmission, revealing that 50% developed detectable viral DNA within 12 weeks, with splenomegaly and lymphoid hyperplasia being common findings.
  • The research establishes a model for studying LPDV's effects on wild turkey populations and paves the way for future diagnostic and pathogenesis investigations.
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  • Mass mortality events in wildlife can indicate new infectious diseases; in 2021, numerous dead songbirds were reported in the eastern US, showing various health issues.
  • Diagnostic tests like high-throughput metagenomic sequencing were used to analyze samples, revealing many potentially harmful microbes, mainly bacteria, but no single pathogen was consistently found among the affected birds.
  • The consistent results prompted researchers to explore other causes, such as environmental factors and nutritional issues, showcasing the value of metagenomic techniques in studying wildlife diseases and guiding future investigations.
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The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) has been undergoing a range-wide population decline. Potential causes for declines across its historic range have been investigated for decades and include habitat loss and fragmentation and a variety of parasitic and infectious diseases. Although there have been studies on bobwhite ecology in Oklahoma, USA, relatively little is known about parasites and pathogens in the region.

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