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Anticoagulant Rodenticide Toxicity To Non-Target Wildlife Under Controlled Exposure Conditions, Barnett A. Rattner, F. Nicholas Mastrota

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Our knowledge of the toxicity of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) can be traced to investigations of Karl Paul Link and colleagues on “bleeding disease” in cattle, the eventual isolation of dicoumarol from moldy sweet clover, synthesis of this causative agent, and its application as a therapeutic anticoagulant in clinical medicine in 1941 (Link 1959). The notion of a coumarin-based rodenticide as a better “mouse-trap” occurred to Link in 1945 while reviewing laboratory chemical and bioassay data. By 1948, the highly potent compound number 42, warfarin, was promoted as a rodenticide (Link 1959; Last 2002). Through laboratory studies and clinical use of …

Lessons Learned From Research And Surveillance Directed At Highly Pathogenic Influenza A Viruses In Wild Birds Inhabiting North America, Andrew M. Ramey, Thomas J. Deliberto, Yohannes Berhane, David E. Swayne, David E. Stallknecht

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Following detections of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) in wild birds inhabiting East Asia after the turn of the millennium, the intensity of sampling of wild birds for IAVs increased throughout much of North America. The objectives for many research and surveillance efforts were directed towards detecting Eurasian origin HP IAVs and understanding the potential of such viruses to be maintained and dispersed by wild birds. In this review, we highlight five important lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at HP IAVs in wild birds inhabiting North America: (1) Wild birds may disperse IAVs between North America …

Feminization Of Male Brown Treesnake Methyl Ketone Expression Via Steroid Hormone Manipulation, M. Rockwell Parker, Saumya M. Patel, Jennifer E. Zachry, Bruce A. Kimball

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Pheromones are useful tools for the management of invasive invertebrates, but have proven less successful in field applications for invasive vertebrates. The brown treesnake, Boiga irregularis, is an invasive predator that has fundamentally altered the ecology of Guam. The development of control tools to manage Boiga remains ongoing. Skin-based, lipophilic pheromone components facilitate mating in brown treesnakes, with females producing the same long-chain, saturated and monounsaturated (ketomonoene) methyl ketones known to function as pheromones in garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis. Boiga also express novel, diunsaturated methyl ketones (ketodienes) with a purported function as a sex pheromone. In our study, …

Molecular Population Structure For Feral Swine In The United States, Blake E. Mccann, Timothy J. Smyser, Brandon S. Schmit, Robert A. Newman, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Mathew J. Malek, Seth R. Swafford, Richard A. Sweitzer, Rebecca B. Simmons

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) have invaded most of the United States and continue to expand throughout North America. Given the ecological and economic threats posed by increasing feral swine abundance, it is imperative to develop an understanding of their patterns of natural range expansion and human-mediated introductions. Towards this goal, we used molecular markers to elucidate the genetic structure of feral swine populations throughout the United States and evaluated the association between historical introductions and contemporary patterns of genetic organization. We used STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) to delineate genetic clusters for 959 individuals genotyped …

Development And Evaluation Of A Bait Station For Selectively Dispensing Bait To Invasive Wild Pigs, Michael Lavelle, Nathan P. Snow, Joe M. Halseth, John C. Kinsey, Justin A. Foster, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Populations of invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa; hereafter, wild pigs) are expanding, requiring cost effective tools for control, and disease prevention, such as toxic or vaccine baits. Specifically, development of a novel and humane toxicant is underway for control of wild pigs in the United States and Australia. A species specific bait station for delivering the toxic bait must be used to protect nontarget animals. Further, a bait station must be designed to maximize feeding by wild pigs by accommodating their group-feeding behaviors.We sought to develop a bait station that delivered bait to the maximum proportion of wild …

Regional-Based Mitigation To Reduce Wildlife–Vehicle Collisions, Nathan P. Snow, Zhen Zhang, Andrew O. Finley, Brent A. Rudolph, William F. Porter, David M. Williams, Scott R. Winterstein

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vehicular collisions with large ungulates pose serious challenges for managing and conserving large ungulates throughout the world. Despite the global frequency, mitigation efforts are mostly limited to localized hotspots and not effective on broad scales. Our goal was to determine whether dynamic, regional attributes could inform broader focus for mitigation efforts. We applied a spatiotemporal dynamic model to examine the regional influences on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)–vehicle collisions (DVCs) throughout the Midwest United States from traffic, abundance of deer, and composition and configuration of the landscape during 2000–2011. The regions included eco-zones representing landscape dominated by shelter-forage habitats …

Diets Of Kauai’S Invasive Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittacula Krameri): Evidence Of Seed Predation And Dispersal In A Human-Altered Landscape, Aaron B. Shiels, William P. Bukoski, Shane R. Siers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) are the world’s most successful introduced parrots, and[2000 individuals reside on Kauai, Hawaii. These birds destroy crops, but impacts to other native and non-native species are largely unknown. Our study objectives on Kauai were to determine: (1) diets of rose-ringed parakeets at five sites (n = 9–25 per site), by sex, through crop and gizzard analysis and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, and (2) whether birds are dispersing or depredating seeds. We found 100% of birds (n = 64) were eating plant material and 80% of their diet was seed; males …

Visual Cues For Woodpeckers: Light Reflectance Of Decayed Wood Varies By Decay Fungus, Sean T. O'Daniels, Dylan C. Kesler, Jeanne D. Mihail, Elisabeth B. Webb, Scott J. Werner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The appearance of wood substrates is likely relevant to bird species with life histories that require regular interactions with wood for food and shelter. Woodpeckers detect decayed wood for cavity placement or foraging, and some species may be capable of detecting trees decayed by specific fungi; however, a mechanism allowing for such specificity remains unidentified.We hypothesized that decay fungi associated with woodpecker cavity sites alter the substrate reflectance in a species-specific manner that is visually discriminable by woodpeckers. We grew 10 species of wood decay fungi from pure cultures on sterile wood substrates of 3 tree species. We then measured …

Consistent Individual Behavior: Evidence Of Personality In Black Bears, Patrick J. Myers, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Personality is defined as consistency in individual differences in organismal behavior across time or context, a phenomenon of interest within behavioral and evolutionary ecology. Empirical data have revealed an ever-increasing number and diversity of taxa that display these phenotypic patterns in both wild and captive settings. Moreover, these behavioral traits are frequently linked to wild behavior, life history strategies, and measures of individual fitness. Understanding personality is of particular importance for some animals, such as large carnivores, which may express maladaptive behavior that can lead to conflict with humans. To date, few studies of personality exist on large carnivores and …

Influenza D Virus Infection In Feral Swine Populations, United States, Lucas Ferguson, Kaijian Luo, Alicia K. Olivier, Fred L. Cunningham, Sherry Blackmon, Katie Hanson-Dorr, Hailiang Sun, John Baroch, Mark W. Lutman, Bianca Quade, William Epperson, Richard Webby, Thomas J. Deliberto, Xiu-Feng Wan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Influenza D virus (IDV) has been identified in domestic cattle, swine, camelid, and small ruminant populations across North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Our study investigated seroprevalence and transmissibility of IDV in feral swine. During 2012–2013, we evaluated feral swine populations in 4 US states; of 256 swine tested, 57 (19.1%) were IDV seropositive. Among 96 archived influenza A virus–seropositive feral swine samples collected from 16 US states during 2010–2013, 41 (42.7%) were IDV seropositive. Infection studies demonstrated that IDV-inoculated feral swine shed virus 3–5 days postinoculation and seroconverted at 21 days postinoculation; 50% of in-contact naive feral …

Resource Partitioning Between Kit Foxes (Vulpes Macrotis) And Coyotes (Canis Latrans): A Comparison Of Historical And Contemporary Dietary Overlap, P. A. Byerly, R. C. Lonsinger, E. M. Gese, A. J. Kozlowski, L. P. Waits

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Range expansions by generalists can alter communities and introduce competitive pressures on native species. In the Great Basin Desert, USA, coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823) have colonized and are now sympatric with native kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis Merriam, 1888). Since both species have similar diets, dietary partitioning may facilitate coexistence.Weanalyzed coyote and kit fox diets, then compared our results to an earlier study. Because populations are dynamic, we expected that decreases in prey or increases in predator abundance could alter dietary patterns. We found no significant changes in population-level prey diversity for kit foxes or coyotes, but found …

Research Priorities For Managing Invasive Wild Pigs In North America, James C. Beasley, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, John J. Mayer, Mark D. Smith, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

With recent increases in distribution and numbers of feral pigs (Sus scrofa; invasive wild pigs) in North America, there has been a concurrent increase in the ecological and economic effects they have had on native and anthropogenic ecosystems. Despite the amplified interest in invasive wild pig research, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding their basic biology and ecology, the scope of the damage they cause, and the efficacy of many control strategies. Such information is important to support the successful management of invasive wild pigs throughout North America and other areas. In 2016, members of the National …

Book Review, Jimmy D. Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Like its congener in North America (North American beaver [Castor canadensis]), the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) was locally extirpated from many parts of its range, largely because of over harvest and changing land use practices in the presence of an increasing human population. Similarly, both species also have responded well to changes in environmental awareness and wildlife management practices. Presently, both species are managed for the ecosystem services that they provide and the conflicts, or disservices, they create with humans (e.g., excessive flooding). The release of The Eurasian Beaver Handbook: Ecology and Management of Castor fiber …

Experimental And Modeled Thermoregulatory Costs Of Repeated Sublethal Oil Exposure In The Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax Auritus, Paul D. Mathewson, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, Warren P. Porter, Steven J. Bursian, Karen M. Dean, Kate Healy, Katherine Horak, Jane E. Link, K. E. Harr, Brain S. Dorr

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

To fully understand the impact of oil exposure, it is important to understand sublethal effects like how increased thermoregulatory costs may affect survival and reproduction. However, it is difficult and time-consuming to measure these effects in wild animals. We present a novel use of a bioenergetics model, Niche Mapper™, to estimate thermoregulatory impacts of oiling, using data from captive Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) experimentally exposed to oil. Oiled cormorants had significant increases in surface body temperatures following exposure. Niche Mapper accurately predicted surface temperatures and metabolic rates for unoiled and oiled cormorants and predicted 13–18% increased daily energetic …

A Molecular Analysis To Assess Codling Moth Cydia Pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Predation By Orchard Birds, Anna M. Mangan, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Matthew W. Hopken, Scott J. Werner, Liba Pejchar

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The codling moth Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a major economic pest in organic apple orchards. Observational methods, prey removal experiments and correlative experiments with exclosures or nest boxes have demonstrated that birds contribute to the removal of this insect pest. However, the majority of research conducted in the last several decades has taken place outside of the United States and methods for studying biological pest control have advanced dramatically and now include molecular techniques. We conducted a proof-of-concept study to test a DNA-based approach to detect C. pomonella prey in the diets of birds occupying organic apple orchards. …

Assessing Ecological And Social Outcomes Of A Bear-Proofing Experiment, Heather Johnson, David L. Lewis, Stacy A. Lischka, Stewart W. Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Human-black bear conflicts within urban environments have been increasing throughout North America, becoming a high priority management issue. The main factor influencing these conflicts is black bears foraging on anthropogenic foods within areas of human development, primarily on residential garbage. Wildlife professionals have advocated for increased bear-proofing measures to decrease the accessibility of garbage to bears, but little research has been conducted to empirically test the effectiveness of this approach for reducing conflicts. Between 2011 and 2016, we conducted a before-after-control-impact experiment in Durango, Colorado where we distributed 1,110 bear-resistant trash containers, enhanced education, and increased enforcement to residents in …

Efficacy Of Ontario Rabies Vaccine Baits (Onrab) Against Rabies Infection In Raccoons, Amy Gilbert, Shylo Johnson, Nikki Walker, Chad Wickham, Alex Beath, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the US, rabies lyssavirus (RABV) only circulates in wildlife species and the most significant reservoir from a public and animal health perspective is the raccoon (Procyon lotor). Management of wildlife rabies relies principally on oral rabies vaccination (ORV) strategies using vaccine-laden bait delivery to freeranging target hosts, in order to reduce the susceptible population to prevent the spread of and eliminate RABV circulation. Our objective was to evaluate efficacy of the Ontario Rabies Vaccine Bait (ONRAB) against a lethal RABV challenge in captive raccoons. Sham or live vaccine baits were offered to 50 raccoons and efficacy was …

Prevalence And Amount Of Feral Swine Damage To Three Row Crops At Planting, Richard M. Engeman, Jason Terry, Leif R. Stephens, Kenneth S. Gruver

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine damage to corn, cotton and peanut crops at planting was assessed for 46 fields in Alabama. Damage was assessed on the basis of prevalence among fields and the quantity lost within each damaged field. Feral swine control by professionals dedicated to that task appeared to greatly reduce the prevalence of damage among fields, as the 14 fields which were within the areas where professional swine control operations took place were not damaged. For the 32 fields not receiving such protection, seven (21.9%) received some level of damage. Of those, 40% (four of 10) peanut fields, 15.4% (two of …

Potential Of Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax Auritus), American White Pelicans (Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos), And Wood Storks (Mycteria Americana) To Transmit A Hypervirulent Strain Of Aeromonas Hydrophila Between Channel Catfish Culture Ponds, Fred L. Cunningham, Madison M. Jubirt, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, Lorelei Ford, Paul Fioranelli, Larry A. Hanson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aeromonas hydrophila is a Gramnegative bacterium ubiquitous to freshwater and brackish aquatic environments that can cause disease in fish, humans, reptiles, and birds. Recent severe outbreaks of disease in commercial channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) aquaculture ponds have been associated with a hypervirulent Aeromonas hydrophila strain (VAH) that is genetically distinct from less virulent strains. The epidemiology of this disease has not been determined. Given that research has shown that Great Egrets (Ardea alba) can shed viable hypervirulent A. hydrophila after consuming diseased fish, we hypothesized that Doublecrested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), American White Pelicans ( …

Identifying Individual Cougars (Puma Concolor) In Remote Camera Images – Implications For Population Estimates, Peter D. Alexander, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Several studies have estimated cougar (Puma concolor) abundance using remote camera trapping in conjunction with capture–mark–recapture (CMR) type analyses. However, this methodology (photo-CMR) requires that photo-captured individuals are individually recognisable (photo identification). Photo identification is generally achieved using naturally occurring marks (e.g. stripes or spots) that are unique to each individual. Cougars, however, are uniformly pelaged, and photo identification must be based on subtler attributes such as scars, ear nicks or body morphology. There is some debate as to whether these types of features are sufficient for photo-CMR, but there is little research directly evaluating its feasibility …

An Assessment Of The Us Endangered Species Act Recovery Plans: Using Physiology To Support Conservation, Jessica L. Mahoney, Page E. Klug, Wendy L. Reed

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Applying physiology to help solve conservation problems has become increasingly prominent. It is unclear, however, if the increased integration into the scientific community has translated into the application of physiological tools in conservation planning. We completed a review of the use of animal physiology in the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery plans released between 2005 and 2016. Over those 11 years, 135 of the 146 recovery plans mentioned physiology, with 56% including it as background information on the natural history of the species and not as part of …

Assessing Owl Collisions With Us Civil And Us Air Force Aircraft, Kimberly E. Linnell, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Collisions between wildlife and aircraft (wildlife strikes) pose notable risks. Previous research has found that a variety of birds and mammals are involved in wildlife strikes, but no comprehensive evaluation of collisions between owl and aircraft (owl strikes) has been conducted. We queried the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Wildlife Strike Database (from 1 January 1990 to 30 June 2014) and the US Air Force’s Birdstrike Database (from 1 January 1994 to 30 June 2014) to characterize owl strikes. We found 2531 owl strikes involving at least 20 species of owls. Barn Owls (Tyto alba) were the most frequently …

Modeling The Distributions Of Tegu Lizards In Native And Potential Invasive Ranges, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Mark A. Hayes, Lee A. Fitzgerald, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Bryan G. Falk, Michelle A. M. Collier, Lea R. Bonewell, Page E. Klug, Sergio Naretto, Robert N. Reed

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive reptilian predators can have substantial impacts on native species and ecosystems. Tegu lizards are widely distributed in South America east of the Andes, and are popular in the international live animal trade. Two species are established in Florida (U.S.A.) - Salvator merianae (Argentine black and white tegu) and Tupinambis teguixin sensu lato (gold tegu) – and a third has been recorded there—S. rufescens (red tegu). We built species distribution models (SDMs) using 5 approaches (logistic regression, multivariate adaptive regression splines, boosted regression trees, random forest, and maximum entropy) based on data from the native ranges. We then projected …

Accounting For Location Uncertainty In Azimuthal Telemetry Data Improves Ecological Inference, Brian D. Gerber, Mevin B. Hooten, Christopher P. Peck, Mindy B. Rice, James H. Gammonley, Anthony D. Apa, Amy J. Davis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Characterizing animal space use is critical for understanding ecological relationships. Animal telemetry technology has revolutionized the fields of ecology and conservation biology by providing high quality spatial data on animal movement. Radio-telemetry with very high frequency (VHF) radio signals continues to be a useful technology because of its low cost, miniaturization, and low battery requirements. Despite a number of statistical developments synthetically integrating animal location estimation and uncertainty with spatial process models using satellite telemetry data, we are unaware of similar developments for azimuthal telemetry data. As such, there are few statistical options to handle these unique data and …

Reimmunization Increases Contraceptive Effectiveness Of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Vaccine (Gonacon-Equine) In Freeranging Horses (Equus Caballus): Limitations And Side Effects, Dan L. Baker, Jenny G. Powers, Jason I. Ransom, Blake E. Mccann, Michael W. Oehler, Jason E. Bruemmer, Nathan L. Galloway, Douglas C. Eckery, Terry M. Nett

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife and humans are increasingly competing for resources worldwide, and a diverse, innovative, and effective set of management tools is needed. Controlling abundance of wildlife species that are simultaneously protected, abundant, competitive for resources, and in conflict with some stakeholders but beloved by others, is a daunting challenge. Free-ranging horses (Equus caballus) present such a conundrum and managers struggle for effective tools for regulating their abundance. Controlling reproduction of female horses presents a potential alternative. During 2009±2017, we determined the long-term effectiveness of GnRH vaccine (GonaCon-Equine) both as a single immunization and subsequent reimmunization on reproduction and side …

Evolutionary Pathway For The 2017 Emergence Of A Novel Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H7n9) Virus Among Domestic Poultry In Tennessee, United States, Lei Li, Thomas J. Deliberto, Mary L. Killian, Mia K. Torchetti, Xiu-Feng Wan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In March 2017, a novel highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H7N9) virus was detected at two commercial broiler breeder facilities in Tennessee, United States. In this study, a wild bird low pathogenic avian influenza A virus, A/blue-winged teal/Wyoming/AH0099021/2016(H7N9), was shown to be the probable precursor of the novel H7N9 virus; this low pathogenic virus has eight possible progenitor genes sharing> 99% sequence identity with the novel H7N9 virus. Phylogeographic analyses showed that viral gene constellations that formed and circulated among dabbling ducks contributed to the emergence of the novel H7N9 virus. This is in contrast to the virus that caused the …

Influence Of Behavioral State, Sex, And Season On Resource Selection By Jaguars (Panthera Onca): Always On The Prowl?, Eric M. Gese, Patricia A. Terletzky, Sandra M. C. Cavalcanti, Christopher M. U. Neale

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

How a predator uses its landscape to move through its territory and acquire prey is a fundamental question for scientific research. The influence of abiotic and biotic factors on space use of large carnivores has profound implications for their future management and conservation. In the Pantanal, Brazil, jaguars (Panthera onca) are the apex predator, but conflicts with cattle depredations pose a risk to their future conservation. We examined whether behavioral state, sex, and season influenced how jaguars used the landscape in the Pantanal. To accomplish this, we radio-collared four females and six males; radiocollared jaguars were monitored for 76 radio-months …

European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris) Reproduction Undeterred By Predator Scent Inside Nest Boxes, Bradley Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Bruce N. Buckingham

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Indirect predator cues near nests have been shown to enhance perceived predation risk and associated antipredator behaviours in breeding animals across taxa and particularly with birds. We hypothesized that scent from the raccoon (Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758)) inside nest boxes would, despite being an evolutionarily unique predator, enhance perceived risk to the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758)), thus reducing use of treated sites and reproduction. During early spring, starlings selected from nest boxes treated with equal volumes of predator scent, a novel odour, or water (n = 40 boxes per treatment). We evaluated effects of treatment …

Falcons Using Orchard Nest Boxes Reduce Fruit-Eating Bird Abundances And Provide Economic Benefits For A Fruit-Growing Region, Megan E. Shave, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Julie L. Elser, Catherine A. Lindell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Suppression of pest species via a native predator is a regulating ecosystem service that has the potential to limit crop damage and produce economic benefits. American kestrels Falco sparverius are widespread, highly mobile, generalist predators that hunt in human-dominated habitats and have the potential to provide previously undocumented ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.

2. We hypothesized that kestrel activity associated with nest boxes and artificial perches acts to increase perceived predation risk that, in combination with direct predation, can reduce fruit-eating bird abundances in orchards. We used counts and observations of fruit-eating birds from fixed-width transect surveys to investigate …

Detection Of Viruses From Bioaerosols Using Anion Exchange Resin, Joshua W. Schaeffer, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Margaret Davidson, Sheryl L. Magzamen, Alma Perez-Mendez, Stephen J. Reynolds, Lawrence D. Goodridge, John Volckens, Alan B. Franklin, Susan A. Shriner, Bledar Bisha

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

This protocol demonstrates a customized bioaerosol sampling method for viruses. In this system, anion exchange resin is coupled with liquid impingement-based air sampling devices for efficacious concentration of negatively-charged viruses from bioaerosols. Thus, the resin serves as an additional concentration step in the bioaerosol sampling workflow. Nucleic acid extraction of the viral particles is then performed directly from the anion exchange resin, with the resulting sample suitable for molecular analyses. Further, this protocol describes a custom-built bioaerosol chamber capable of generating virus-laden bioaerosols under a variety of environmental conditions and allowing for continuous monitoring of environmental variables such as temperature, …