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The objectives are to determine the distribution and prevalance of wildlife diseses that are transmissible to livestock and pountry in Florida. These diseases include parasitic and infectious diseases such as Newcastle Disease in double-crested cormrants, eastern equine encephalitis in sandhill cranes and whooping cranees, mycoplasmal conjunctivitis in songbirds, and fascioloidosis, haemonchosis, dictyocaulosis, tuberculosis, and chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer, and others.
APPROACH: Serologic studies and virus isolations will be conducted on eggs, nestlings, and adult double-crested cormorants from several colonies in Florida to identify Newcastle disease virus. Sandhill crane adults and chicks of various ages will be captured and tested serologially for antibodies to eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. Sentinel studies will be conducted using pen-reared bobwhites to determine seasonal transmission of EEE virus. Mosquitoes will be collected, identified, pooled, and tested for EEE virus. Other species of wildlife including songbirds and white-tailed deer will be examined to detect mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, chronic wasting disease and other diseases.