Draft:Texas Tech University Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory

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Texas Tech University Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory  

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The Texas Tech University Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory is a research facility part of the Texas Tech University system in Lubbock, Texas.[1] The laboratory is part of the Department of Environmental Toxicology, founded in 2012 by Dr. Ronald J. Kendall, Ph.D. The lab studies environmental threats to Texas’s native species, particularly parasitic threats to the northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus).[2][3]

History of the laboratory

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The laboratory was founded in 2012 by wildlife toxicologist Dr. Ron Kendall, with the purpose of researching parasites affecting bobwhite quail in the Rolling Plains region of Texas.[4]

The decline of the bobwhite quail

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In the fall of 2010, hunters in the Rolling Plains region of Texas noticed a decline in the bobwhite quail population, with many ranches reporting a 70 to 90% decrease.[5] This decline lead to hunters and members of Park Cities Quail Coalition in the Dallas area and the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation to raise $7 million to fund a long-term research project led by Dr. Kendall.[5][6]  This research initiative was termed Operation Idiopathic Decline, and it launched in January 2011.[7]

Research

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According to Science Daily, laboratory researchers with Operation Idiopathic Decline necropsied hundreds of bobwhite quails throughout a 19-million-acre area of land.[8] It was found that 28 out of 29 adult bobwhite quail were infected with parasitic eyeworms (Oxyspirura petrowi). The eyeworms ingest blood from the quail, leading to severe inflammation and impaired vision, providing an explanation for the population declines.[8][9] These findings lead to expanding research into another type of parasite, cecal worms (Aulonocephalus pennula).[6] It was found that of the birds sampled, nearly 90% had cecal worms and about 60% had eyeworms.[10]

The findings from Operation Idiopathic Decline were published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases under the title “Evidence of an Oxyspirura petrowi Epizootic in Northern Bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), Texas, USA”. The paper reported evidence of an Oxyspirura petrowi epizootic in northern bobwhites and suggests that parasitic infection was a likely contributor to regional population declines.[9]

These findings prompted the opening of the Texas Tech Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory in 2012.[4] 

Treatment

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The Texas Tech Wildlife Laboratory tested fenbendazole, an anthelmintic medication, to combat parasitic infection, which was found to treat quails without harming them or non-targeted animal populations.[10]

On May 23, 2024, the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration granted supplemental approval for the use of fenbendazole to treat wild quail. This is the first FDA drug approval for wild quail. It is sold as a retail product called QuailGuard.[11][12]

Funding

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The Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory lists the following sponsors: Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation, the Park Cities Quail Coalition, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Snipes Ranch, W7 Ranch, Ribelin Ranch, Mewbourne Oil Company, Smith Family Auto Dealership, Bryant Grain Co., Inc., the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, and the United States Food and Drug Administration.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Toxicology | Home | TTU". www.depts.ttu.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  2. ^ "Ron Kendall, Ph.D. | Home | TTU". www.depts.ttu.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  3. ^ "Home". TTU Wildlife Toxicology Lab. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  4. ^ a b "Ronald J. Kendall, Ph.D., Lubbock TEEA 2025 Winner: Individual". Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. June 11, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Hill, Katie (2024-07-18). "Texas Bird Hunters Helped Fund a New Drug That's Saving Wild Quail". Outdoor Life. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  6. ^ a b "Parasite Research". TTU Wildlife Toxicology Lab. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  7. ^ Davis, Tom (2024-09-25). "The Promise of Quail Guard". Shooting Sportsman. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  8. ^ a b "Blood-sucking parasitic eyeworm a culprit to 2010 quail decline, researchers believe". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  9. ^ a b Dunham, Nicholas R.; Soliz, Liza A.; Fedynich, Alan M.; Rollins, Dale; Kendall, Ronald J. (July 2014). "Evidence of an Oxyspirura petrowi epizootic in northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), Texas, USA". Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 50 (3): 552–558. doi:10.7589/2013-10-275. ISSN 1943-3700. PMID 24779461.
  10. ^ a b Reports, Staff (2024-06-14). "Eating Healthy: Hunter-backed research leads to medicated feed for quail". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  11. ^ "FDA Approves First Medicated Wild Quail Feed". Georgia Outdoor News. 2024-12-05. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  12. ^ Medicine, Center for Veterinary (2024-05-23). "FDA Approves First Drug for Use in Wild Quail". FDA.
  13. ^ "Grants & Publications". TTU Wildlife Toxicology Lab. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
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Wildlife Toxicology Homepage

Texas Tech University Department of Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Toxicology

Ronald J. Kendall Profile and Publications

Park Cities Quail Coalition

Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation

Quail Safe Medicated Feed