Publications by authors named "Morgan Wehtje"

Products of parturition are the predominant source of Brucella abortus for transmission in bison (Bison bison). Our objective was to assess whether preventing pregnancy in Brucella-seropositive bison reduced B. abortus shedding.

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The purpose of this study was to determine if the number of pregnancies in naturally infected Brucella abortus-positive bison (Bison bison) cows would be reduced over a period of 5 yr after one treatment with 3000 µg gonadotropin-releasing hormone immunocontraceptive (GonaCon) compared to a similar group of naturally infected B. abortus-positive bison cows not treated with GonaCon. In each of the 5 yr, GonaCon-treated cows produced fewer offspring in relation to number of cows than the nontreated cows.

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The wild pig population on Molokai, Hawaii, USA is a possible reservoir for bovine tuberculosis, caused by , and has been implicated in decades past as the source of disease for the island's domestic cattle. Heat-inactivated vaccines have been effective for reducing disease prevalence in wild boar in Spain and could prove useful for managing in Molokai wild pigs. We designed an experiment to test this vaccine in wild pigs of Molokai genetics.

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Brucellosis, caused by , has been eliminated from livestock in the US. Remaining wildlife reservoirs are the bison () and elk () populations in Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area, from which there is periodic exposure and transmission to surrounding livestock herds. Elk account for nearly all of the livestock exposure, and the infection appears to be expanding in the elk population.

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Haemaphysalis longicornis is a tick indigenous to eastern Asia and an important vector of human and animal disease agents, resulting in such outcomes as human hemorrhagic fever and reduction of production in dairy cattle by 25%. H. longicornis was discovered on a sheep in New Jersey in August 2017 (1).

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Previous studies demonstrated that nalbuphine, medetomidine, and azaperone (NalMed-A) can effectively immobilize adult elk ( Cervus elaphus nelsoni), and be antagonized using naltrexone and atipamezole, with or without tolazoline. To assess duration of tissue residues for this immobilization package, we immobilized 14 captive adult elk with NalMed-A, then euthanized animals and collected tissues 0, 3, 6, 14, 21, or 28 d later. Except for two animals euthanized immediately, all elk were recovered using naltrexone, atipamezole, and tolazoline.

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Climate change threatens natural landscapes through shifting distribution and abundance of species and attendant change in the structure and function of ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how climate-mediated variation in species' environmental niche space may lead to large-scale fragmentation of species distributions, altered meta-population dynamics and gene flow, and disrupted ecosystem integrity. Such change may be especially relevant when species distributions are restricted either spatially or to a narrow environmental niche, or when environments are rapidly changing.

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Peer review is pivotal to science and academia, as it represents a widely accepted strategy for ensuring quality control in scientific research. Yet, the peer-review system is poorly adapted to recent changes in the discipline and current societal needs. We provide historical context for the cultural lag that governs peer review that has eventually led to the system's current structural weaknesses (voluntary review, unstandardized review criteria, decentralized process).

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Understanding the effects of climate change on species' persistence is a major research interest; however, most studies have focused on responses at the northern or expanding range edge. There is a pressing need to explain how species can persist at their southern range when changing biotic interactions will influence species occurrence. For predators, variation in distribution of primary prey owing to climate change will lead to mismatched distribution and local extinction, unless their diet is altered to more extensively include alternate prey.

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