Mange is a skin disease that is caused by a microscopic mite. Several species of mange mites generally affect different species of animals. The most common type of mange in wildlife is sarcoptic mange, caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite…
Lead is a highly toxic heavy metal that is found in many types of ammunition and fishing tackle. Wild birds can become toxicity-prone when they accidentally consume a source of lead through their normal feeding habits. Ingestion of lead from spent…
Hemorrhagic disease (HD) is an acute, infectious, often fatal, viral disease that affects white-tailed deer and other hoofed animals. It is caused by either the bluetongue virus (BTV) or the epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). In areas where…
Nasal bots are the larvae of the bot fly (Cephenemyia sp.) and are common parasites that are found in the nasal passages of deer. TRANSMISSION Adult female flies deposit eggs in the nostrils of the deer. The eggs hatch into larvae and then…
Liver flukes (Fascioloides magna) are flatworm parasites that may be found in the liver of some deer. Adult flukes are purple-gray in color, flat and oval-shaped. The flukes vary in size from 1.5-3 cm wide to 3-10 cm long. They may look like leeches…
Fibromas are firm, nodular, fleshy masses attached to the skin. They are commonly described as warts. Fibromas vary in size from less than one inch to more than four inches in diameter, and they can be found anywhere on the deer's body, but are most…
Corn toxicity refers to two diseases, acidosis (grain overload) and enterotoxemia (overeating disease). Both diseases can cause death in any ruminant, including white-tailed deer and elk, even those in good body condition. While these diseases can…
Conjunctivitis is a medical term to describe inflammation of the membrane that covers the front of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids. The disease in wild birds was first identified in 1994 when house finches in Washington D.C. were…
Salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans or “Bsal”) was first identified in 2013 in Belgium and the Netherlands. Bsal impacts a variety of salamander species (as well as some frog species) and can result in mass mortality…
Chytridiomycosis or chytrid fungus is an emerging infectious disease of amphibians (both frogs and salamanders) and has been noted as the most devastating infectious wildlife disease recorded and a global threat to amphibian populations. Chytrid is…