Laura Adamovicz

About

Dr. Laura Adamovicz is a wildlife veterinarian and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Wildlife Epidemiology at the University of Illinois. She is a 2012 graduate of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and obtained her PhD in epidemiology from the University of Illinois in 2019. She currently splits her time between diagnostic test development and validation in the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, directed veterinary student mentorship through the Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, and multiple field-based, conservation-focused research studies. Her research focuses on improving veterinary management of reptiles and amphibians and supporting effective conservation strategies for multiple taxa in managed care and the wild.

Research topics

• Biology
• Medicine
• Zoology
• Pathology
• Virology
• Evolutionary biology
• Genetics
• Ecology
• Geography

Selected publications

• Ophidiomycosis surveillance of snakes in Georgia, USA reveals new host species and taxonomic associations with disease

  Scientific Reports · 2020 · 33 citations

  Ophidiomycosis (snake fungal disease) is caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola and threatens snake health worldwide. It has been documented throughout the eastern United States and severe cases have recently been reported in Georgia, USA. To evaluate disease distribution and prevalence in this state, 786 free-ranging snakes were examined for skin lesions consistent with ophidiomycosis and swabbed to detect O. ophiodiicola DNA using qPCR. Sampled snakes represented 34 species and 4 famil…

  DOI

• Emerging Infectious Diseases of Chelonians

  Veterinary Clinics of North America Exotic Animal Practice · 2020 · 21 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  DOI

• <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> in 3 Species of Turtles in the Upper Midwest, United States

  Emerging infectious diseases · 2021 · 13 citations

  Coxiella burnetii, the causative bacterium of the zoonotic disease Q fever, has been documented in many different species. We describe documented turtles that were PCR positive for C. burnetii from multiple locations in Illinois and Wisconsin, USA. Assessing the conservation implications, reservoir potential, and zoonotic risk requires further research.

  DOI

• EMYDOMYCES TESTAVORANS SURVEILLANCE IN MULTIPLE FREE-RANGING TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC CHELONIAN SPECIES IN ILLINOIS, USA

  Journal of Wildlife Diseases · 2024-10-16 · 7 citations

  article

  The order Onygenales contains multiple fungal pathogens that affect free-ranging and zoo-housed reptilian species. Emydomyces testavorans, an onygenalean fungus associated with skin and shell disease, has been sporadically detected in aquatic chelonians. Because of the recent discovery of this organism, little is known about its prevalence in free-ranging chelonians. The objective of this study was to perform surveillance for E. testavorans in six free-ranging aquatic and terrestrial chelonian s…

  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating the Efficacy of Disinfectant Methods Against Emydomyces testavorans, a Fungus Associated with Shell Disease in Freshwater Aquatic Turtles

  Journal of Wildlife Diseases · 2025-01-31 · 4 citations

  article

  Emydomyces testavorans is an onygenalean fungus associated with shell and skin lesions in chelonians and is increasingly linked to morbidity and mortality. Effective disinfection methods are a critical component of biosecurity protocols to prevent and manage emydomycosis; however, disinfectant efficacy against E. testavorans is unknown. This study determined the in vitro efficacy of 13 disinfectants across a range of concentrations and exposure times used in veterinary, wildlife, and environment…

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Matthew C. Allender

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  291 shared

• Ellen Bronson

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  85 shared

• Thomas B. Waltzek

  83 shared

• Kuttichantran Subramaniam

  University of Florida

  83 shared

• Lauren B. Peiffer

  Johns Hopkins Medicine

  81 shared

• Allan P. Pessier

  Washington State University

  81 shared

• Samantha J. Sander

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  81 shared

• Kathleen L. Gabrielson

  Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center

  81 shared

Labs

• Wildlife Epidemiology LaboratoryPI

Education

• PhD, Comparative Biosciences

  University of Illinois

  2018

• DVM

  Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

  2012

• BA, Biology

  Saint Mary's College of Maryland

  2008

Awards & honors

• Robert & Patricia Anderson Award (2025)
• Brookfield Zoo Chicago Rising Conservation Leader Award (202…

Similar researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Timothy Fanh-50
• Will Sanderh-26