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EDGEFIELD, SC \u2014 The NWTF is helping to fund a new wild turkey research project that will use cutting-edge technologies to study disease at the cellular level, informing general understanding of disease ecology and helping guide future wild turkey management.<\/p>\n

Lymphoproliferative disease virus, or LPDV for short, is well known among researchers and wildlife managers, as it is not uncommon for wild turkeys and other land birds to become infected. LPDV was first documented in a wild turkey in Arkansas in 2009 and has since been detected in wild turkeys in at least 29 states.<\/p>\n

Some infected birds form tumors in their internal organs and skin and can exhibit many other side effects, such as weakness and lethargy, while some infected birds show no noticeable clinical signs but experience more insidious effects, such as decreased systemic health. immune. Although the disease can be detrimental to individual birds, less is known about its effect at the population level.<\/p>\n