Publications

an expanding population of the giant liver fluke (fascioloides magna) in elk (cervus canadensis) and other ungulates in canada.	giant liver fluke (fascioloides magna) populations readily expand under suitable conditions. although extirpated from the eastern slopes of the canadian rocky mountains in the early 1960s, the fluke reappeared following natural spread through mountain passes from british columbia. herein, we assessed epizootiology of the fluke population two decades later. between 1984 and 1991, 534 ungulates, including 381 elk (cervus canadensis), 68 mule deer (odocoileus hemionus hemionus), 54 white-tailed dee ...	2015	25647594
epizootic hemorrhagic disease in alberta, canada.	epizootic hemorrhagic disease (ehd) virus serotype 2 was identified by reverse-transcription (rt)-pcr in a white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) found dead in southern alberta in september 2013. field observations indicate at least 50 deer, primarily white-tailed deer, and three pronghorn antelope (antilocapra americana) died during a suspected localized ehd outbreak.	2014	24807363
selection of reserves for woodland caribou using an optimization approach.	habitat protection has been identified as an important strategy for the conservation of woodland caribou (rangifer tarandus). however, because of the economic opportunity costs associated with protection it is unlikely that all caribou ranges can be protected in their entirety. we used an optimization approach to identify reserve designs for caribou in alberta, canada, across a range of potential protection targets. our designs minimized costs as well as three demographic risk factors: current i ...	2012	22363702
targeting the detection of chronic wasting disease using the hunter harvest during early phases of an outbreak in saskatchewan, canada.	chronic wasting disease (cwd) is a fatal disease of north american cervids that was first detected in a wild, hunter-shot deer in saskatchewan along the border with alberta in canada in 2000. spatially explicit models for assessing factors affecting disease detection are needed to guide surveillance and control programs. spatio-temporal patterns in cwd prevalence can be complicated by variation in individual infection probability and sampling biases. we assessed hunter harvest data of mule deer ...	2011	22137503
polymorphisms at the prnp gene influence susceptibility to chronic wasting disease in two species of deer (odocoileus spp.) in western canada.	chronic wasting disease (cwd) is increasingly prevalent in multiple wild mule (odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (o. virginianus) herds in north america. cwd was first found in canadian wild mule deer in saskatchewan in 2000 and has since spread into the neighboring province of alberta. the infectious agent for cwd is a misfolded prion protein encoded by the prnp gene. previous studies revealed association between prnp genotype and susceptibility to cwd in both mule and white-tailed dee ...	2009	19697236
bovine tuberculosis in canadian wildlife: an updated history.	mycobacterium bovis infection in wild animals attracted little attention in canada until the disease was almost eliminated from domestic livestock. tuberculosis was endemic in plains bison and occurred in elk, moose, and mule deer in buffalo national park (bnp), alberta during the 1920s and 1930s. bison were moved from bnp to wood buffalo national park (wbnp), where tuberculosis became, and remains, endemic in bison, posing a risk to efforts to restore bison in northern canada. tuberculosis was ...	2009	20119541
performance and dietary preferences of white-tailed deer grazing chicory, birdsfoot trefoil or alfalfa in north central alberta.	little information exists on the performance of deer on alternative forage species in northern temperate environments during summer and fall, the period of inherent maximum growth in deer. in performance and choice experiments, we compared live weight gain (g/kg(0.75)/day), absolute [kg/ha dry matter (dm)] and relative (% dm) herbage utilization, relative preference index (rpi) as well as plant community visitation of white-tailed deer grazing alfalfa (medicago sativa), birdsfoot trefoil (lotus ...	2009	19138349
nasal bots and lice from white-tailed deer in southern alberta, canada.	heads of 64 white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) fawns, harvested in the vicinity of magrath, alberta, canada, (49 degrees 24'782''n, 112 degrees 52'113''w) were examined for the presence of nasal bots and lice. the deer were collected between 8-30 january 2004 as part of a government-approved herd reduction protocol. the entire surface of each head was scanned visually for the presence of lice. each head was split longitudinally, and the nasal passages, sinuses, and ethmoid region were wa ...	2008	18689654
survey on 'lumpy jaw' on deer farms in western canada: prevalence and distribution, and identification of associated factors.	to investigate the prevalence and geographical distribution of 'lumpy jaw' (lj) in a population of white-tailed deer (wtd; odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (md; odocoileus hemionus) farms from the western canadian provinces of saskatchewan and alberta, and to identify factors associated with its occurrence.	2007	17339914
the first canadian indigenous case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse) has molecular characteristics for prion protein that are similar to those of bse in the united kingdom but differ from those of chronic wasting disease in captive elk and deer.	brain tissue from a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse) from alberta was subjected to a western immunoblotting technique to ascertain the molecular profile of any disease-specific, abnormal prion protein, that is, prion protein that is protease-resistant (prp(res)). this technique can discriminate between isolates from bse, ovine scrapie, and sheep experimentally infected with bse. isolates of brain tissue from the bse case in alberta, 3 farmed elk with chronic wasting disease (cwd) f ...	2004	15532881
congenital anomalies in a neonatal white-tailed deer in alberta.	in september, 1973, a live male 2-3 day old white-tailed deer (odocoileur virginianus) with multiple anomalies of the head and forelimbs was found near lethbridge, alberta. notable gross findings inculded brachygnathia inferior, atypical incisor tooth alignment, medially folded ears, humero-radial arthrogryposis and bowing of the radius and ulna. hematologic determinations indicated increased erythrocyte, hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. histopathologic examination revealed mineralized spherite ...	1995	1195490
survey of hepatic and pulmonary helminths of wild cervids in alberta, canada.	during the 1988 hunting season, livers and lungs from 263 mule deer (odocoileus hemionus hemionus), 198 moose (alces alces), 147 white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus), and 94 wapiti (cervus elaphus nelsoni) from alberta (canada) were collected for parasitological examination. most of the samples (89%) were submitted by big game hunters throughout the province. giant liver fluke (fascioloides magna) was found in 9% of 22 yearling and 29% of 65 adult wapiti; 4% of 161 adult moose; and 2% of 9 ...	1990	2250321
first record of lipoptena depressa (diptera: hippoboscidae) from alberta, canada.	lipoptena depressa is reported for the first time from alberta on a 2 1/2-mo-old white-tailed deer fawn. this ked fly is one of four species occurring on deer in north america. the fawn had severe hemorrhagic enteritis of undetermined cause.	1987	3625915
sarcocystis in wild ungulates in alberta.	muscle samples from 557 wild ungulates in alberta, comprising seven species, were examined grossly and/or histologically for cysts of sarcocystis. sarcocystis was found in 100, 96, 94, 75, 75, 73, and 49% of the wapiti (cervus canadensis), moose (alces alces), bison (bison bison), mule deer (odocoileus hemionus), bighorn sheep (ovis canadensis), mountain goat (oreamnos americanus), and white-tailed deer (o. virginianus), respectively.	1980	6780701