The distribution of the freshwater myxozoan parasite Ceratonova shasta in the Pacific Northwest of North America is limited to overlap in the ranges of its 2 hosts: the polychaete Manyunkia sp., and Pacific salmonids. Studies in the Klamath River (Oregon/California) and Deschutes River (Oregon), showed that the parasite population is...
The myxozoan Ceratonova shasta is an intestinal parasite of salmon and trout that causes ceratomyxosis, a disease characterized by severe inflammation of the intestine that can lead to hemorrhaging, necrosis, and death of the fish host. The parasite is endemic to the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada,...
Corals have multiple roles in maintaining ocean health and are some of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. The coral animal is host to a multitude of taxa, including symbiotic dinoflagellate algae, fungi, bacteria, protists, and viruses. Environmental stressors and disease agents can perturb the delicate balance of the coral host...
Selected secreted and cellular virulence factors of Aeromonas
salmonicida were examined. A protocol was developed for the
separation of two secreted proteases (P1 and P2 protease), and
a trout erythrocyte specific hemolysin (T-lysin) from
supernatants of cultures of the bacterium. Distinctions between
the proteases were demonstrated using molecular weight
determinations,...
Parasites and pathogens influence the size and stability of wildlife populations, yet many population models ignore
the population-level effects of pathogens. Standard survival analysis methods (e.g., accelerated failure time models)
are used to assess how survival rates are influenced by disease. However, they assume that each individual is equally
susceptible...
What makes invasive species successful, and how do they affect native populations and communities? I addressed these key questions in the context of the invasion of Atlantic coral reefs by Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans). To assess the role of parasites in contributing to the success of this invasion, I...
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issue. I hope to collaborate on a project with him, one day soon. Jerri
Native to the Pacific Northwest, Ceratomyxashastais a myxosporeanparasite that infects wild and cultivated salmon and has a significance impact on its population in the Klamath River basin. The study suggests that the transmission of mixed genotypes of the parasite are common in Chinook salmon but the age of the fish...
Stony corals are the ecosystem engineers of the vital, dynamic, and complex marine ecosystem known as coral reefs. Globally, coral reefs are undergoing degradation from multiple anthropogenic stressors. Coral reef organism holobionts, or the host along with its microbial components, are key to reef ecosystem success and functioning. Marine microbes...
Marine mammals are top predators that are essential for the health and function of our oceans. These top predators are often affected by various factors that can be detrimental to their populations. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate undetermined causes of deaths and to better understand known diseases in...