W. R. Davidson

The orbiviruses, epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) virus or bluetongue (BT) virus, cause a disease syndrome termed hemorrhagic disease (HD) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and several other wild ruminants. An annual mail survey of state wildlife agencies was conducted from 1980-1989 to estimate the occurrence of HD in the continental United States. Thirty-one states reported confirmed or suspected HD activity, and 1,608 occurrences were reported in 880 counties or parishes. Cases of HD were reported throughout most of the Southeast and much of the Midwest and northern Great...

Evaluations of health status were made on 119 pen-raised wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) by complete necropsy, serological, and microbiological testing, blood smear examinations, subinoculation trials, and parasite identification. At least 33 species of parasites including 9 protozoans, 14 helminths, and 10 arthropods were found. Infectious disease agents isolated or identified histopathologically were avian pox virus, Mycoplasma gallisepticum. and Aspergillusjumigatus. Serologic testing disclosed antibodies to infectious bursal disease virus-2, M. gallisepticum. M. meleagridis. and...

Abomasal parasite counts (APC) were determined on 467 whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) collected in summer and 436 deer collected in fall from 50 localities in the Southeast. APC values declined from summer to fall region-wide. Declines in APC values began on most areas in Mountain and Piedmont provinces by October and November, respectively; and in the Coastal Plain province declines in APC values began in November. These differences in the timing of declines in APC values precluded establishment of region-wide guidelines for interpretation of fall APC values. Since APC values...