Fish & Wildlife Disease: Wild Fish Diseases
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By Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program
September 29, 2022
USGS fish disease research is focused on developing advanced tools for rapid disease detection and control. USGS scientists are improving our understanding of the factors controlling the epidemiology of aquatic animal diseases and the impact of disease on wild fish populations. Our scientists are also investigating the effects of warming waters, drought, and invasive species on fish disease dynamics.
Wild Fish Disease Research
Wild Fish Disease Research
Explore our science using the data below.
Recent publications related to USGS fish disease research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS fish disease publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 48
Isothermal recombinant polymerase amplification and CRIPSR (CAS12A) assay detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum as an example for wildlife pathogen detection in environmental DNA samples Isothermal recombinant polymerase amplification and CRIPSR (CAS12A) assay detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum as an example for wildlife pathogen detection in environmental DNA samples
Improving rapid detection methods for pathogens is important for research as we collectively aim to improve the health of ecosystems globally. In the northern hemisphere, the success of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations is vitally important to the larger marine, aquatic, and terrestrial ecosystems they inhabit. This has led to managers cultivating salmon in hatcheries and...
Authors
Erin D’Agnese, Dorothy Chase, Elizabeth Andruszkiewicz-Allan
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout recovery in Yellowstone Lake: Complex interactions among invasive species suppression, disease, and climate change Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout recovery in Yellowstone Lake: Complex interactions among invasive species suppression, disease, and climate change
In Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, the largest inland population of nonhybridized Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri, hereafter Cutthroat Trout, declined throughout the 2000s because of predation from invasive Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush, drought, and whirling disease Myxobolus cerebralis. To maintain ecosystem function and conserve Cutthroat Trout, a Lake Trout...
Authors
Hayley Glassic, David Chagaris, Christopher Guy, Lusha M. Tronstad, Dominique R. Lujan, Michelle A. Briggs, Lindsey Albertson, Travis O. Brenden, Timothy E. Walsworth, Todd M. Koel
Comparative susceptibilities of selected California Chinook salmon and steelhead populations to isolates of L Genogroup Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) Comparative susceptibilities of selected California Chinook salmon and steelhead populations to isolates of L Genogroup Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV)
Salmonid species demonstrate varied susceptibility to the viral pathogen infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). In California conservation hatcheries, juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have experienced disease outbreaks due to L genogroup IHNV since the 1940s, while indigenous steelhead (anadromous O. mykiss) appear relatively resistant. To characterize factors
Authors
Christin Bendorf, Susan Yun, Gael Kurath, Ronald Hedrick
Variation in within-host replication kinetics among virus genotypes provides evidence of specialist and generalist infection strategies across three salmonid host species Variation in within-host replication kinetics among virus genotypes provides evidence of specialist and generalist infection strategies across three salmonid host species
Theory of the evolution of pathogen specialization suggests that a specialist pathogen gains high fitness in one host, but this comes with fitness loss in other hosts. By contrast, a generalist pathogen does not achieve high fitness in any host, but gains ecological fitness by exploiting different hosts, and has higher fitness than specialists in nonspecialized hosts. As a result...
Authors
David Paez, Douglas McKenney, Maureen Purcell, Kerry Naish, Gael Kurath
Evaluation of Francisella orientalis ΔpdpA as a live attenuated vaccine against piscine Francisellosis in Nile tilapia Evaluation of Francisella orientalis ΔpdpA as a live attenuated vaccine against piscine Francisellosis in Nile tilapia
Francisella orientalis is an important bacterial pathogen of marine and freshwater fish with worldwide distribution. Fish francisellosis is a severe subacute to chronic granulomatous disease, with high mortalities and high infectivity rates in cultured and wild fish. To date, there is no approved vaccine for this disease. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of a defined F...
Authors
Fernanda de Alexandre Sebastiao, John Hansen, Esteban Soto
Genetics reveal long-distance virus transmission links in Pacific salmon Genetics reveal long-distance virus transmission links in Pacific salmon
In the coastal region of Washington State, a major pathogen emergence event occurred between 2007 and 2011 in which steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) experienced a high incidence of infection and disease outbreaks due to the rhabdovirus infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Genetic typing showed that the introduced viruses were in the steelhead-specific MD subgroup of IHNV...
Authors
Rachel Breyta, William Batts, Gael Kurath
Comparative virulence of spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) genotypes in two koi varieties Comparative virulence of spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) genotypes in two koi varieties
Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV), is a lethal freshwater pathogen of cyprinid fish, and Cyprinus carpio koi is a primary host species. The virus was initially described in the 1960s after outbreaks occurred in Europe, but a global expansion of SVCV has been ongoing since the late 1990s. Genetic typing of SVCV isolates separates them into 4 genotypes that are correlated with geographic...
Authors
Eveline Emmenegger, Emma Bueren, Peng Jia, Noble Hendrix, Hong Liu
A novel approach for directly incorporating disease into fish stock assessment: A case study with seroprevalence data A novel approach for directly incorporating disease into fish stock assessment: A case study with seroprevalence data
When estimating mortality from disease with fish population models, common disease surveillance data such as infection prevalence are not always informative, especially for fast-acting diseases that may go unobserved in infrequently sampled populations. In these cases, seroprevalence — the proportion of fish with measurable antibody levels in their blood — may be more informative. In...
Authors
John Trochta, Maya Groner, Paul Hershberger, Trevor A. Branch
Effects of stocking density on stress response and susceptibility to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in rainbow trout Effects of stocking density on stress response and susceptibility to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in rainbow trout
The goals of this study were to examine the effect of stocking density on the stress response and disease susceptibility in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish were sorted into one of 2 stocking densities (high density "HD", 20-40 kg/m3) or (low density, "LD", 4-8 kg/m3) and 3 stress indices (cortisol levels in serum and water, and neutrophil: lymphocyte (N:L) ratios from...
Authors
Jenna Klug, Piper Treuting, George Sanders, James Winton, Gael Kurath
Development of a multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization assay to identify coinfections in young-of-the-year smallmouth bass Development of a multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization assay to identify coinfections in young-of-the-year smallmouth bass
Histopathological assessments of young-of-the-year (age-0) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu in the Susquehanna River drainage identified a high prevalence of the myxozoan Myxobolus inornatus. This myxozoan infects the connective tissue of the muscle below the skin but is sometimes observed in the esophagus and buccal cavity. In some instances, shallow infections cause breaks in the...
Authors
Heather Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia Mazik
miR133b microinjection during early development targets transcripts of sardiomyocyte ion channels and induces oil-like cardiotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos miR133b microinjection during early development targets transcripts of sardiomyocyte ion channels and induces oil-like cardiotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos
Previous studies have shown that altered expression of a family of small noncoding RNAs (microRNAs, or miRs) regulates the expression of downstream mRNAs and is associated with diseases and developmental disorders. miR133b is highly expressed in mammalian cardiac and skeletal muscle, and aberrant expression is associated with cardiac disorders and electrophysiological changes in...
Authors
Justin Greer, Jason T. Magnuson, Victoria McGruer, Le Qian, Subham Dasgupta, David Volz, Daniel Schlenk
Targeted and non-targeted analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry Targeted and non-targeted analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna River Basin, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA, have been exhibiting clinical signs of disease and reproductive endocrine disruption (e.g., intersex, male plasma vitellogenin) for over fifteen years. Previous histological and targeted chemical analyses have identified infectious agents and pollutants in fish tissues including organic contaminants, mercury...
Authors
Paige Teehan, Megan K. Schall, Vicki S. Blazer, Frank Dorman
USGS fish disease research is focused on developing advanced tools for rapid disease detection and control. USGS scientists are improving our understanding of the factors controlling the epidemiology of aquatic animal diseases and the impact of disease on wild fish populations. Our scientists are also investigating the effects of warming waters, drought, and invasive species on fish disease dynamics.
Wild Fish Disease Research
Wild Fish Disease Research
Explore our science using the data below.
Recent publications related to USGS fish disease research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS fish disease publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 48
Isothermal recombinant polymerase amplification and CRIPSR (CAS12A) assay detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum as an example for wildlife pathogen detection in environmental DNA samples Isothermal recombinant polymerase amplification and CRIPSR (CAS12A) assay detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum as an example for wildlife pathogen detection in environmental DNA samples
Improving rapid detection methods for pathogens is important for research as we collectively aim to improve the health of ecosystems globally. In the northern hemisphere, the success of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations is vitally important to the larger marine, aquatic, and terrestrial ecosystems they inhabit. This has led to managers cultivating salmon in hatcheries and...
Authors
Erin D’Agnese, Dorothy Chase, Elizabeth Andruszkiewicz-Allan
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout recovery in Yellowstone Lake: Complex interactions among invasive species suppression, disease, and climate change Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout recovery in Yellowstone Lake: Complex interactions among invasive species suppression, disease, and climate change
In Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, the largest inland population of nonhybridized Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri, hereafter Cutthroat Trout, declined throughout the 2000s because of predation from invasive Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush, drought, and whirling disease Myxobolus cerebralis. To maintain ecosystem function and conserve Cutthroat Trout, a Lake Trout...
Authors
Hayley Glassic, David Chagaris, Christopher Guy, Lusha M. Tronstad, Dominique R. Lujan, Michelle A. Briggs, Lindsey Albertson, Travis O. Brenden, Timothy E. Walsworth, Todd M. Koel
Comparative susceptibilities of selected California Chinook salmon and steelhead populations to isolates of L Genogroup Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) Comparative susceptibilities of selected California Chinook salmon and steelhead populations to isolates of L Genogroup Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV)
Salmonid species demonstrate varied susceptibility to the viral pathogen infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). In California conservation hatcheries, juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have experienced disease outbreaks due to L genogroup IHNV since the 1940s, while indigenous steelhead (anadromous O. mykiss) appear relatively resistant. To characterize factors
Authors
Christin Bendorf, Susan Yun, Gael Kurath, Ronald Hedrick
Variation in within-host replication kinetics among virus genotypes provides evidence of specialist and generalist infection strategies across three salmonid host species Variation in within-host replication kinetics among virus genotypes provides evidence of specialist and generalist infection strategies across three salmonid host species
Theory of the evolution of pathogen specialization suggests that a specialist pathogen gains high fitness in one host, but this comes with fitness loss in other hosts. By contrast, a generalist pathogen does not achieve high fitness in any host, but gains ecological fitness by exploiting different hosts, and has higher fitness than specialists in nonspecialized hosts. As a result...
Authors
David Paez, Douglas McKenney, Maureen Purcell, Kerry Naish, Gael Kurath
Evaluation of Francisella orientalis ΔpdpA as a live attenuated vaccine against piscine Francisellosis in Nile tilapia Evaluation of Francisella orientalis ΔpdpA as a live attenuated vaccine against piscine Francisellosis in Nile tilapia
Francisella orientalis is an important bacterial pathogen of marine and freshwater fish with worldwide distribution. Fish francisellosis is a severe subacute to chronic granulomatous disease, with high mortalities and high infectivity rates in cultured and wild fish. To date, there is no approved vaccine for this disease. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of a defined F...
Authors
Fernanda de Alexandre Sebastiao, John Hansen, Esteban Soto
Genetics reveal long-distance virus transmission links in Pacific salmon Genetics reveal long-distance virus transmission links in Pacific salmon
In the coastal region of Washington State, a major pathogen emergence event occurred between 2007 and 2011 in which steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) experienced a high incidence of infection and disease outbreaks due to the rhabdovirus infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Genetic typing showed that the introduced viruses were in the steelhead-specific MD subgroup of IHNV...
Authors
Rachel Breyta, William Batts, Gael Kurath
Comparative virulence of spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) genotypes in two koi varieties Comparative virulence of spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) genotypes in two koi varieties
Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV), is a lethal freshwater pathogen of cyprinid fish, and Cyprinus carpio koi is a primary host species. The virus was initially described in the 1960s after outbreaks occurred in Europe, but a global expansion of SVCV has been ongoing since the late 1990s. Genetic typing of SVCV isolates separates them into 4 genotypes that are correlated with geographic...
Authors
Eveline Emmenegger, Emma Bueren, Peng Jia, Noble Hendrix, Hong Liu
A novel approach for directly incorporating disease into fish stock assessment: A case study with seroprevalence data A novel approach for directly incorporating disease into fish stock assessment: A case study with seroprevalence data
When estimating mortality from disease with fish population models, common disease surveillance data such as infection prevalence are not always informative, especially for fast-acting diseases that may go unobserved in infrequently sampled populations. In these cases, seroprevalence — the proportion of fish with measurable antibody levels in their blood — may be more informative. In...
Authors
John Trochta, Maya Groner, Paul Hershberger, Trevor A. Branch
Effects of stocking density on stress response and susceptibility to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in rainbow trout Effects of stocking density on stress response and susceptibility to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in rainbow trout
The goals of this study were to examine the effect of stocking density on the stress response and disease susceptibility in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish were sorted into one of 2 stocking densities (high density "HD", 20-40 kg/m3) or (low density, "LD", 4-8 kg/m3) and 3 stress indices (cortisol levels in serum and water, and neutrophil: lymphocyte (N:L) ratios from...
Authors
Jenna Klug, Piper Treuting, George Sanders, James Winton, Gael Kurath
Development of a multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization assay to identify coinfections in young-of-the-year smallmouth bass Development of a multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization assay to identify coinfections in young-of-the-year smallmouth bass
Histopathological assessments of young-of-the-year (age-0) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu in the Susquehanna River drainage identified a high prevalence of the myxozoan Myxobolus inornatus. This myxozoan infects the connective tissue of the muscle below the skin but is sometimes observed in the esophagus and buccal cavity. In some instances, shallow infections cause breaks in the...
Authors
Heather Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia Mazik
miR133b microinjection during early development targets transcripts of sardiomyocyte ion channels and induces oil-like cardiotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos miR133b microinjection during early development targets transcripts of sardiomyocyte ion channels and induces oil-like cardiotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos
Previous studies have shown that altered expression of a family of small noncoding RNAs (microRNAs, or miRs) regulates the expression of downstream mRNAs and is associated with diseases and developmental disorders. miR133b is highly expressed in mammalian cardiac and skeletal muscle, and aberrant expression is associated with cardiac disorders and electrophysiological changes in...
Authors
Justin Greer, Jason T. Magnuson, Victoria McGruer, Le Qian, Subham Dasgupta, David Volz, Daniel Schlenk
Targeted and non-targeted analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry Targeted and non-targeted analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna River Basin, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA, have been exhibiting clinical signs of disease and reproductive endocrine disruption (e.g., intersex, male plasma vitellogenin) for over fifteen years. Previous histological and targeted chemical analyses have identified infectious agents and pollutants in fish tissues including organic contaminants, mercury...
Authors
Paige Teehan, Megan K. Schall, Vicki S. Blazer, Frank Dorman