Pádraig Duignan, DVM, Ph.D.
Director of Pathology
Marine mammals are not just sentinels of oceanic health but also of the dramatic changes occurring because of climate change. My passion is to investigate how these changes are affecting the emergence of novel diseases that could have adverse impacts on individuals and populations.
Dr. Pádraig J. Duignan has over three decades of experience in marine mammal diagnostics and research in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom and Ireland, placing him as one of the top research pathologists in his field of study.
His research is mainly focused on diseases that impact marine mammals of the West Coast, including coronavirus infection in West Coast marine mammals, domoic acid poisoning in sea lions and sea otters, the epidemiology of leptospirosis in sea lions and phocids, and protozoal pathogens of pinnipeds and sea otters but particularly Sarcocystis myositis in sea lions. He is also an active member of the Sea Lion Cancer Consortium, a group of specialists investigating cancer in California sea lions.
Pádraig has a particular interest in the impact of climate-driven environment change on marine mammal health and current projects include the investigation of dermatitis in ice seals, effects of long-term warming on Arctic narwhal health indices, and freshwater skin disease in dolphins. Projects on the emergence of infectious diseases include studies on morbillivirus infection globally, the emergence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in sea lions in California and New Zealand, pasteurellosis in California harbor seals, coccidioidomycosis in the California sea lion and variant forms of protozoal pathogens in California marine mammals.
Pádraig has published almost 120 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 10 book chapters and has supervised seven Ph.D graduates with two ongoing. Currently, he holds an affiliated faculty position in Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, an adjunct professorship in wildlife pathology at the University of Calgary, and membership on the Strategic Advisory Board of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative and the Marine Ecosystem Health Network (Pacific Northwest). He is a research collaborator with the Coastal Marine Research Group (New Zealand) and a Research Associate of the Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit (Western Australia).
Areas of Expertise
- Wildlife Pathology
- Marine Mammal Diseases (Epidemiology)
- Impact of Climate Change on Marine Mammals
- Cetacean Research
Talk to Our Experts
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Recent Publications
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/nz-sea-lion-shutterstock.jpg","alt":"New Zealand sea lion","title":"Causes of Death in Two Populations of New Zealand Sea Lions","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/causes-of-death-in-two-populations-of-new-zealand-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/csl-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-1.jpg","alt":"California sea lion eating a fish","title":"New Technique for Diagnosing Lung Parasite Infections in Sea Lions","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/new-technique-for-diagnosing-lung-parasite-infections-in-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Sea otter\/sea-otter-shutterstock.jpg","alt":"sea otter eating shellfish","title":"Parasite-Associated Hepatitis in Southern Sea Otters","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/parasite-associated-hepatitis-in-southern-sea-otters","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/csl-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-6.jpg","alt":"California sea lions","title":"Zoonotic Bacteria Persistence and Susceptibility","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/zoonotic-bacteria-persistence-and-susceptibility","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/dolphin-shutterstock.jpg","alt":"Two dolphins","title":"Brain Parasites in South African Dolphins","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/brain-parasites-in-south-african-dolphins","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/river-otter-shutterstock.jpg","alt":"river otter","title":"Cancer in Wild River Otters","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/cancer-in-wild-river-otters","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/cropped-images\/csl-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-1-0-0-2358-1722-1600891644.jpg","alt":"California sea lions","title":"Emerging Viruses in Marine Mammals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/emerging-viruses-in-marine-mammals","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/csl-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-12.jpg","alt":"two California sea lions","title":"Multi-Phase Muscle Breakdown in California Sea Lions","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/multi-phase-muscle-breakdown-in-california-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/nz-sea-lion-shutterstock.jpg","alt":"New Zealand sea lion","title":"Tuberculosis in New Zealand Seals, Sea Lions and Dolphins","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/tuberculosis-in-new-zealand-seals-sea-lions-and-dolphins","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/bighorn-sheep-shutterstock.jpg","alt":"bighorn sheep","title":"Domestic Sheep and Bighorn Sheep Carry Distinct Type of Herpesviruses","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/domestic-sheep-and-bighorn-sheep-carry-distinct-type-of-herpesviruses","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/California sea lion\/cropped-images\/sea-lion-pup-shutterstock-451-142-3018-2358-1603915228.jpg","alt":"California sea lion pup","title":"Domoic Acid in Fetal Fluids of California Sea Lions","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/domoic-acid-in-fetal-fluids-of-california-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/cropped-images\/csl-resting-c-the-marine-mammal-center-605-0-3523-2751-1603927376.jpg","alt":"California sea lion resting on the pen floor with a young sea lion in the background","title":"Prevalence of Cancer in Stranded California Sea Lions (2005-2015)","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/prevalence-of-cancer-in-stranded-california-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/2018\/cropped-images\/csl-leadbelly-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-664-0-2502-1954-1607626905.jpg","alt":"California sea lion","title":"Contaminant Exposure and Herpesvirus Associated with Cancer in Wild Sea Lions","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/contaminant-exposure-and-herpesvirus-associated-with-cancer-in-wild-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Contaminant Exposure and Herpesvirus Associated with Cancer in Wild Sea Lions
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Bottlenose dolphin\/bottlenose-dolphins-leaping-shutterstock.jpg","alt":"dolphins leaping out of the water","title":"Fresh Water Skin Disease in Dolphins","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/fresh-water-skin-disease-in-dolphins","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Bottlenose dolphin\/bottlenose-dolphin-by-bill-keener-c-the-marine-mammal-center-1.jpg","alt":"Bottlenose dolphin","title":"Effects of Low Salinity Water Exposure on Bottlenose Dolphins","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/effects-of-low-salinity-water-exposure-on-bottlenose-dolphins","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/California sea lion\/cropped-images\/csl-on-a-rock-shutterstock-191-0-3072-2400-1617060454.jpg","alt":"California sea lion on a rock","title":"Unlocking the Role of a Genital Herpesvirus in California Sea Lion Cervical Cancer","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/unlocking-the-role-of-a-genital-herpesvirus-in-california-sea-lion-cervical-cancer","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Unlocking the Role of a Genital Herpesvirus in California Sea Lion Cervical Cancer
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Sea otter\/cropped-images\/sea-otter-grooming-head-shutterstock-22-86-3617-2826-1616709449.jpg","alt":"sea otter grooming","title":"Parasitic Skin Disease in Threatened Southern Sea Otters","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/parasitic-skin-disease-in-threatened-southern-sea-otters","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/galapagos-sea-lion-shutterstock-954-376-2988-2334-1617750524.jpg","alt":"Galapagos sea lion","title":"Mycoplasmas in Galapagos Sea Lions and Their Association with Other Respiratory Pathogens","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/occurrence-of-mycoplasmas-in-galapagos-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Mycoplasmas in Galapagos Sea Lions and Their Association with Other Respiratory Pathogens
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/cropped-images\/csl-eating-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-0-361-1799-1405-1617816863.jpg","alt":"California sea lion eating a fish","title":"Predicting Prognosis in Wildlife Rehabilitation: A Case Study of Leptospirosis in Sea Lions","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/predicting-prognosis-in-wildlife-rehabilitation-a-case-study-of-leptospirosis","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Predicting Prognosis in Wildlife Rehabilitation: A Case Study of Leptospirosis in Sea Lions
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Sea otter\/cropped-images\/sea-otter-face-shutterstock-423-0-3176-2481-1602701548.jpg","alt":"southern sea otter","title":"Clinical Signs and Pathology Associated With Domoic Acid Toxicosis in Southern Sea Otters","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/clinical-signs-and-pathology-associated-with-domoic-acid-toxicosis-in-southern-sea-otters","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Clinical Signs and Pathology Associated With Domoic Acid Toxicosis in Southern Sea Otters
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/2021\/cropped-images\/csl-carillo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-0-526-2426-1895-1615491949.jpg","alt":"California sea lion","title":"Prevalence of Klebsiella Pneumonia in Marine Mammals of the U.S. Pacific Coast","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/prevalence-of-klebsiella-pneumonia-in-marine-mammals-of-the-us-pacific-coast","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Prevalence of Klebsiella Pneumonia in Marine Mammals of the U.S. Pacific Coast
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Elephant seals\/2021\/cropped-images\/es-willamina-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-0-1546-3253-2540-1617409768.jpg","alt":"northern elephant seal ","title":"Infection Dynamics of Influenza Virus A in California Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/infection-dynamics-of-influenza-virus-a-in-california-sea-lions-and-northern-elephant-seals","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Infection Dynamics of Influenza Virus A in California Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/2021\/cropped-images\/csl-bottlecap-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-1070-538-2499-1952-1630538744.jpeg","alt":"California sea lion Bottlecap","title":"Treating California Sea Lions with Sarcocystis-Associated Multi-Phase Muscle Breakdown","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/treating-california-sea-lions-with-sarcocystis-associated-multi-phase-muscle-breakdown","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Treating California Sea Lions with Sarcocystis-Associated Multi-Phase Muscle Breakdown
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Sea otter\/cropped-images\/sea-otter-grooming-shutterstock-882-2-5118-3997-1641932278.jpg","alt":"southern sea otter grooming its face","title":"Genetics and Pathology Associated with Klebsiella Pneumonia","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/genetics-and-pathology-associated-with-klebsiella-pneumonia","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/cropped-images\/csl-ledge-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-394-10-2918-2279-1604525467.jpg","alt":"California sea lion pups","title":"Clinical and Microbiological Characterization of Lymph Node Abscesses in Young Sea Lions","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/clinical-and-microbiological-characterization-of-lymph-node-abscesses-in-young-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Clinical and Microbiological Characterization of Lymph Node Abscesses in Young Sea Lions
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/musk-ox-shutterstock-685-0-4724-3690-1645666360.jpg","alt":"musk ox on snowy ground","title":"Contagious Dermatitis as a Portal of Entry for Bacteria in Muskoxen of the Canadian Arctic","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/contagious-dermatitis-as-a-portal-of-entry-for-bacteria-in-muskoxen-of-the-canadian-arctic","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Contagious Dermatitis as a Portal of Entry for Bacteria in Muskoxen of the Canadian Arctic
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/fin-whale-fort-funston-by-barbie-halaska-c-the-marine-mammal-center-259-328-3782-2954-1619455378.jpg","alt":"","title":"Analyzing Stress and Reproductive Steroid Hormones in Gray and Fin Whales","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/analyzing-stress-and-reproductive-steroid-hormones-in-gray-and-fin-whales","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Bottlenose dolphin\/cropped-images\/bottlenose-dolphin-by-bill-keener-c-the-marine-mammal-center-366-8-1141-892-1610670021.jpg","alt":"bottlenose dolphin surfacing","title":"Tattoo Skin Disease in Cetacea: A Review, with New Cases for the Northeast Pacific","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/tattoo-skin-disease-in-cetacea-a-review-with-new-cases-for-the-northeast-pacific","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Tattoo Skin Disease in Cetacea: A Review, with New Cases for the Northeast Pacific
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Elephant seals\/2022\/cropped-images\/es-arttin-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-626-2-4049-3163-1657660585.jpg","alt":"northern elephant seal in the water","title":"Development and Validation of a New Lab Test for Lymphoma-Associated Herpesvirus in Elephant Seals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/development-and-validation-of-a-new-lab-test-for-lymphoma-associated-herpesvirus-in-elephant-seals","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Development and Validation of a New Lab Test for Lymphoma-Associated Herpesvirus in Elephant Seals
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Elephant seals\/2023\/cropped-images\/es-emerald-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-804-338-3382-2642-1683304696.jpg","alt":"northern elephant seal with snotty nose","title":"Human influenza A Virus H1N1 in Marine Mammals in California, 2019","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/human-influenza-a-virus-h1n1-in-marine-mammals-in-california-2019","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/2022\/cropped-images\/csl-seagrass-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-332-13-2648-2068-1663536608.jpg","alt":"California sea lion","title":"Use of a Lymph-Node Explant Culture System from California Sea Lions to Study Phocine Distemper Virus","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/use-of-a-lymph-node-explant-culture-system-from-california-sea-lions-to-study-phocine-distemper-virus","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Use of a Lymph-Node Explant Culture System from California Sea Lions to Study Phocine Distemper Virus
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/cropped-images\/gray-whale-aerial-shutterstock-738-1090-2184-1706-1618526985.jpg","alt":"a gray whale mother and calf seen from above","title":"Observations of Tissue Healing Around an Implanted \u201cC\u201d Tag in a Gray Whale","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/observations-of-tissue-healing-around-an-implanted-c-tag-in-a-gray-whale","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Humpback whale\/cropped-images\/humpback-whale-sea-lions-photo-c-bill-hunnewell-190-2-2774-2167-1659123832.jpg","alt":"humpback whales and California sea lions feeding","title":"Aquatic Mammals","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/aquatic-mammals","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Misc\/Graphics\/cropped-images\/fundamentals-of-aquatic-veterinary-medicine-book-cover-3-17-637-497-1706135450.png","alt":"Fundamentals of Aquatic Veterinary Medicine book cover","title":"Pathology of Aquatic Animal Diseases","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/pathology-of-aquatic-animal-diseases","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/cropped-images\/gray-whale-necropsy-by-katie-dinnocenzo-c-the-marine-mammal-center-161-0-3871-3023-1604437583.jpg","alt":"researchers perform a necropsy on a dead gray whale on the beach","title":"Gray Whale Post-Mortem Findings During the Unusual Mortality Event in the Eastern North Pacific","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/gray-whale-post-mortem-findings-during-the-unusual-mortality-event-in-the-eastern-north-pacific","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Gray Whale Post-Mortem Findings During the Unusual Mortality Event in the Eastern North Pacific
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/striped-dolphins-in-mediterranean-sea-shutterstock-994-18-3070-2398-1712611006.jpg","alt":"two striped dolphins leaping in the Mediterranean Sea","title":"Historical Isolates of Dolphin Morbillivirus: Origin and New Data","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/historical-isolates-of-dolphin-morbillivirus-origin-and-new-data","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/pygmy-sperm-whale-c-sergio-martinez-5-0-2042-1595-1712612233.jpg","alt":"pygmy sperm whale","title":"Population Structure of Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales May Reflect Foraging Ecology and Dispersal Patterns","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/population-structure-of-pygmy-and-dwarf-sperm-whales-may-reflect-foraging-ecology-and-dispersal-patterns","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Population Structure of Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales May Reflect Foraging Ecology and Dispersal Patterns
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Guadalupe fur seals\/2021\/cropped-images\/gfs-skyrocket-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-noaa-permit-18786-2-112-1667-1302-1625765450.jpg","alt":"Guadalupe fur seal Skyrocket","title":"Vasculitis and Thrombosis due to the Sea Lion Lungworm in a Guadalupe Fur Seal","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/vasculitis-and-thrombosis-due-to-the-sea-lion-lungworm-in-a-guadalupe-fur-seal","label":"Research Paper"}
Research Paper
Vasculitis and Thrombosis due to the Sea Lion Lungworm in a Guadalupe Fur Seal
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Bottlenose dolphin\/cropped-images\/bottlenose-dolphin-mouth-open-shutterstock-322-0-3318-2592-1713910274.jpg","alt":"bottlenose dolphin","title":"Epidemiology of Tattoo Skin Disease in Captive Common Bottlenose Dolphins","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/epidemiology-of-tattoo-skin-disease-in-captive-common-bottlenose-dolphins","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Hawaiian monk seal\/cropped-images\/hawaiian-monk-seal-in-fishing-gear-shutterstock-103-0-4424-3455-1714076342.jpg","alt":"Hawaiian monk seal in the middle of a large plastic fishing net and buoys","title":"Marine Mammals and Plastics in the Ocean","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/marine-mammals-and-plastics-in-the-ocean","label":"Research Paper"}
