A DEC pathologist is defending his work and his qualifications amidst a barrage of criticism from his colleges in the field. Our Erin Vannella has the story.

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"I didn't blow anything, that is totally bull. What she did was nothing. It made no difference in the diagnosis," Stone said.

Stone swats blame for delaying and ultimately misdiagnosing the West Nile virus that killed hundreds of crows found dead in New York City in 1999. Outspoken critic and professor of pathology, Tracey McNamara, says Stone lacks formal wildlife comparative training and should've sought help.

McNamara said," My beef has always been, when you have people who lack formal training, they are the weakest link in the chain of our bio-surveillance training."

McNamara is one of several scientists speaking out against Stone's work in articles first published in the Albany Times Union. All raise doubt around the 41 year DEC employee's qualifications.

McNamara says it's not a personal vendetta.

"It could be anyone in that position and I would still criticize the system. {Stone} happens to be the face of a larger problem. New York State does not require formal training in pathology, leading invariably to late and/or inaccurate diagnosis," said McNamara.

"That's ridiculous. First of all, only a bachelor's degree is needed to be a wildlife pathologist and an exam, so I've got far more than that," Stone said.

But Stone takes it personally and defends his work on the crows. He says he sought help from the CDC and credits them with the final diagnosis.

"That's not unusual for scientists to be in battles with other scientists over diagnosis of things or what the importance of something is. I'm proud of my work on this disease," said Stone.

Stone says he'll continue to do his job to the best of his ability, no matter what his critics say.