Office of Fish and Wildlife Health and Forensics

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

Office of Fish and Wildlife Health and Forensics - January 2001 Report

Douglas E. Roscoe, Ph.D., Research Scientist

The Office of Fish and Wildlife Health and Forensics (OFWHF) conducts investigations and research on diseases of captive and free-ranging fish and wildlife. It also performs tests and analyses of biological samples for law enforcement cases. Diagnostic services and treatments of the fish stocks at the Hackettstown and Pequest hatcheries are a continuing function of this office.

Special Report: Potential Human Pathogen Survey of Resident Canada Geese
A technical report on a study to determine if Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia sp. bacteria and Cryptosporidium sp., Giardia sp. cysts are present in flightless Canada geese from 16 selected sites in New Jersey. In PDF format, viewable and printable with the Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free from Adobe's Web site.

Activities - as of January 2001

Trap Range Lead Contamination Study
West Nile Virus Surveillance
Survey of Falcons and Hawks for Mortality Factors Other Than WNV
Atlantic Brant Die-off
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in Deer

Trap Range Lead Contamination Study

Concerns over possible movement of lead deposited by trap range operations and impacts of ingested lead shot on wildlife have been studied by OFWHF scientists since 1986. Papers describing poisoning of pintail ducks and Canada geese feeding in shot-fall zones and the relative immobile nature of lead in such areas were published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology and the Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. In response to concerns expressed by neighbors to the Black River Wildlife Management Area hunter education range, studies were conducted to determine if lead in the shot-fall zone is moving in the soil column and/or runoff into surface or ground waters. Preliminary findings suggest no such movement is occurring. These findings will be incorporated into the Division's best management practices for hunter education ranges.

West Nile Virus Surveillance

The first bird diagnosed with West Nile virus encephalitis in New Jersey was a merlin submitted to the OFWHF pathology laboratory from Cliffside Park on September 17, 1999. Sentinel birds used to monitor West Nile virus activity in New Jersey include crows, hawks and falcons submitted through municipal and county health departments to the State Department of Health. The hawks and falcons are transferred to OFWHF for diagnostic work-up. Since the beginning of the outbreak in the late summer and fall of 1999 to December 2000, 71 falcons and hawks were tested for West Nile virus. One of four (25%) merlins, one of four (25%) American kestrels, one of twelve (8%) sharp-shinned hawks, four of twenty (20%) red-tailed hawks and one of thirty-one (3%) Cooper's hawks submitted for testing were positive for West Nile Virus. Between June 27 and July 6, 2000, as part of the Division's Canada goose banding operations, serum samples were collected from 274 Canada geese and tested for antibodies to West Nile virus. All were negative. The wildlife pathologist is a member of the New Jersey interagency West Nile Virus Working Group.

Survey of Falcons and Hawks for Mortality Factors Other Than WNV

Studies are also underway to determine the cause of death in falcons and hawks that did not die from West Nile Virus. Preliminary results indicate that 2 of 53 birds (4%) had significant exposure to anticholinesterase pesticides. Brain samples from 52 birds are currently being analyzed for chlordane and other chlorinated pesticides under a grant from the Division of Science, Research and Technology.

Atlantic Brant Die-off

OFWHF researchers together with Division waterfowl biologists are investigating the cause of the Atlantic brant die-off which has been occurring primarily in the vicinity of the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Oceanville, NJ.. Approximately 1,200 Atlantic brant have died in two events one in November 2000 and another in January 2001. Pathologic findings indicated the birds die rapidly and hemorrhage, liver lesions and fluid build-up in the lungs is associated with these deaths. Bacteriologic, virologic, toxicologic, histopathologic tests have been and are being performed on these birds. OFWHF performs some of the testing and has been coordinating consultation and specimen sharing with the NJ Department of Agriculture, NJ Department of Health, USDA-APHIS Veterinary Services, NOAA Marine Biotoxin Program, USGS National Wildlife Health Laboratory and the Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. No clear cause has yet been identified, however the die-off appears to be restricted to the Atlantic brant.

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in Deer

OFHWF identified an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in deer primarily in approximately 280 square miles of marsh, tidal meadow and upland field and woodland in Salem and Gloucester counties during the fall of 1999. Serologic surveys of hunter killed deer and hunter harvest data analysis by the deer project scientists suggest approximately 4,300 deer may have died from the disease. This is a virus transmitted from infected deer by biting midges. Only 2 other outbreaks of this disease have been documented in New Jersey since 1955. It is not transmissible to humans. While no cases of this disease were diagnosed this last fall a sero-survey of hunter-killed deer conducted by OFWHF and East Stroudsburg University has detected antibodies in the serum of at least 2 deer from the Salem County area. Interpretation of these findings is still underway.