Bio

Dr. Abigail Armwood is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology at North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine. Abigail completed her undergraduate degree in marine science and biology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) of the University of Miami and then obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from North Carolina State University in 2017. After graduating from veterinary school, she pursued her combined anatomic pathology residency and PhD with aquatic animal emphasis at the University of Georgia. She completed her anatomic pathology residency in 2020 and subsequently became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. Abigail’s PhD dissertation, done in conjunction with Dr. Al Camus from the University of Georgia and Dr. Matt Griffin from Mississippi State University, focused on the phenotypic and molecular characterization of Edwardsiella species bacteria and their pathologic and immunologic manifestations in teleost fish. She completed her PhD in 2022. She has also conducted research on elasmobranch viruses, teleost fungal infections, poultry infectious diseases, and various other areas of natural disease in veterinary pathology. Abigail specializes in aquatic animal pathology through performing aquatic diagnostics, conducting research in natural fish disease, and training aspiring students/residents in fish pathology. In 2025, Abigail became a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Fish Practice. Abigail is currently the co-coordinator for the anatomic pathology residency program at NC State and has special interest in engaging veterinary students in pathology. She currently serves as the chair of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists Student Engagement Committee.

Area(s) of Expertise

Aquatic and fish pathology, elasmobranch disease, infectious diseases

Publications

• Clostridium septicum Alpha Toxin-Based Recombinant Subunit Vaccine Protects Broiler Chickens Against Clostridial Dermatitis , Avian Diseases (2026)
• Intraspecific Variation of Edwardsiella anguillarum From Non‐Anguillid Fish From Varied Geographic Origins , Journal of Fish Diseases (2026)
• Novel frameshift variant in exon 7 of COL17A1 in a domestic shorthair kitten with junctional epidermolysis bullosa , Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation (2026)
• Optic Chiasm and Bilateral Optic Nerve Oligodendroglioma in A 29‐Month‐Old German Shepherd , Veterinary Ophthalmology (2025)
• Recombinant Lactococcus lactis-based oral vaccine expressing non-toxic alpha toxin domains of Clostridium septicum can offer protection against Clostridial dermatitis in turkeys , Vaccine (2025)
• Concurrent Streptococcus equi subsp. equi infection, purpura haemorrhagica and immune‐mediated myositis in a Quarter Horse filly , Equine Veterinary Education (2024)
• Immunization of turkeys with Clostridium septicum alpha toxin-based recombinant subunit proteins can confer protection against experimental Clostridial dermatitis , PLoS ONE (2024)
• Investigating the etiology of ocular changes in Monodactylus argenteus housed in a shoaling ring exhibit , Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2024)
• What is your diagnosis? Ulcerative shell lesions from a diamond‐backed terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) , Veterinary Clinical Pathology (2023)
• Pathology and virulence of Edwardsiella tarda, Edwardsiella piscicida, and Edwardsiella anguillarum in channel (Ictalurus punctatus), blue (Ictalurus furcatus), and channel × blue hybrid catfish , Journal of Fish Diseases (2022)