Gael Kurath, Ph.D.
Viruses and infectious diseases are natural components of every ecosystem. In aquatic ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a significant viral pathogen of many salmonid fish populations. Studies of IHNV molecular biology, pathogenesis, field ecology, and evolution contribute to understanding and management of viral disease in salmon and trout.
Research Interests:
Our research involves viral diseases in finfish, with an emphasis on the rhabdovirus IHNV in Pacific salmon and trout of Pacific Northwest ecosystems. We conduct landscape-scale genetic typing of IHNV as it occurs across Western North America and use phylogenetic analyses and molecular epidemiology to identify patterns of virus occurrence, transmission, and disease impacts across large geographic regions, and over many years. This has revealed divergence of IHNV into three major genetic groups (U, M, or L) with distinct host specificities and geographic ranges in North America. There is also clear evidence for viral host jumps, displacement events, and evolution of both specialist and generalist virus lineages. Potential drivers of these evolutionary events are tested in controlled wet laboratory challenge studies in salmonid fish, providing sound scientific data on the biological basis of patterns observed in the field. In a recent project we demonstrated evolution of increasing virulence as a driver of viral genotype displacements in steelhead trout of the Columbia River Basin and worked with collaborators to develop the first landscape-scale transmission model for IHNV. We also explore the biological basis of specialist (adapted to single host species) and generalist (adapted to multiple host species) viruses, using naturally evolved subgroups of IHNV. This has potential to explain changes in virus types and disease impacts observed in the Columbia River Basin, and it also serves as a tractable research model for empirical testing of predictions of basic specialist-generalist theory for pathogens. Finally, we collaborate with other researchers to investigate the evolution of IHNV virulence after a historical host jump from sockeye salmon to farmed rainbow trout using a historical panel of over 60 IHNV isolates collected over the last 50 years. Long-term interests include understanding drivers of viral evolution and ecology, host and virus factors that define virus transmission and transmission models, and how human activities can be modified to avoid unintended disease consequences.
Professional Experience
1992 to Present - Research Microbiologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
1989 - 1992 - Postdoctoral researcher, Plant Virology, University of California, Riverside, CA
1985 - 1988 - Postdoctoral researcher, Plant Virology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1985. Virology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
M.S. 1980. Marine Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
B.A. 1978. Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH
Affiliations and Memberships*
University of Washington, affiliate faculty in Pathobiology with graduate faculty status. 1994 to Present (full professor since 2017).
University of Washington, affiliate faculty in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences with graduate faculty status (2007 to Present).
International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, member of study groups Rhabdovirus family (1997 to Present), Paramyxovirus Family (2008 to present), and Mononegavirales Super-family (2008 to Present).
International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, member of study groups Rhabdovirus family (1997 to Present), Paramyxovirus Family (2008 to present), and Mononegavirales Super-family (2008 to Present).
Scientific Journal Editorial Board: Virology (1995-1998); Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (2002-2005); Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (2011-2015); Journal of General Virology (2011-2016).
Ad hoc reviewer for numerous journals.
Grant review panel member or panel chair: USDA Biotechnology Risk Assessment (1996, 1997); USDA NRI Virology (1999, 2000); USDA-NIFA AFRI Diseases of Agricultural Animals program (2020).
American Fisheries Society, Fish Health Section, member since 1994, nominating/balloting committee member 2002-2003; chair 2004.
American Fisheries Society, Fish Health Section, elected vice-president 2006, executive committee 2006-2010, president 2008.
American Society for Virology member since 1983.
Honors and Awards
Special Achievement Award, American Fisheries, Society Fish Health Section, 1999
U.S. Department of the Interior Star Awards, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2008
Snieszko Distinguished Service Award, Fish Health Section, American Fisheries Society, 2020
Science and Products
Transmission routes maintaining a viral pathogen of steelhead trout within a complex multi-host assemblage
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus
Potential distribution of the viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus in the Great Lakes region
The family Rhabdoviridae: Mono- and bipartite negative-sense RNA viruses with diverse genome organization and common evolutionary origins
Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus virological and genetic surveillance 2000–2012
Replication and shedding kinetics of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in juvenile rainbow trout
Susceptibility of ocean- and stream-type Chinook salmon to isolates of the L, U, and M genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV)
Possibility and challenges of conversion of current virus species names to Linnaean binomials
Taxonomy of the order Mononegavirales: update 2016
Characterization of infectious dose and lethal dose of two strains of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV)
Potential drivers of virulence evolution in aquaculture
Increasing virulence, but not infectivity, associated with serially emergent virus strains of a fish rhabdovirus
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Transmission routes maintaining a viral pathogen of steelhead trout within a complex multi-host assemblage
This is the first comprehensive region wide, spatially explicit epidemiologic analysis of surveillance data of the aquatic viral pathogen infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) infecting native salmonid fish. The pathogen has been documented in the freshwater ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest of North America since the 1950s, and the current report describes the disease ecology of IHNV duAuthorsRachel Breyta, Ilana L. Brito, Paige Ferguson, Gael Kurath, Kerry A. Naish, Maureen K. Purcell, Andrew R. Wargo, Shannon L. LaDeauInfectious haematopoietic necrosis virus
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a Rhabdovirus that causes significant disease in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and rainbow and steelhead trout (O. mykiss). IHNV causes necrosis of the haematopoietic tissues, and consequently it was named infectious haematopoietic necrosis. This virus is waterborne and may transmit horizontally and verticallyAuthorsJo-Ann Leong, Gael KurathPotential distribution of the viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus in the Great Lakes region
Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) genotype IVb has been responsible for large-scale fish mortality events in the Great Lakes of North America. Anticipating the areas of potential VHSV occurrence is key to designing epidemiological surveillance and disease prevention strategies in the Great Lakes basin. We explored the environmental features that could shape the distribution of VHSV, baseAuthorsLuis E. Escobar, Gael Kurath, Joaquim Escobar-Dodero, Meggan E. Craft, Nicholas B.D. PhelpsThe family Rhabdoviridae: Mono- and bipartite negative-sense RNA viruses with diverse genome organization and common evolutionary origins
The family Rhabdoviridae consists of mostly enveloped, bullet-shaped or bacilliform viruses with a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA genome that infect vertebrates, invertebrates or plants. This ecological diversity is reflected by the diversity and complexity of their genomes. Five canonical structural protein genes are conserved in all rhabdoviruses, but may be overprinted, overlapped or interAuthorsRalf G. Dietzgen, Hideki Kondo, Michael M. Goodin, Gael Kurath, Nikos VasilakisInfectious hematopoietic necrosis virus virological and genetic surveillance 2000–2012
Surveillance records of the acute RNA pathogen of Pacific salmonid fish infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus are combined for the first time to enable landscape-level ecological analyses and modeling. The study area is the freshwater ecosystems of the large Columbia River watershed in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as coastal rivers in Washington and Oregon. The studyAuthorsRachel Breyta, Ilana L. Brito, Gael Kurath, Shannon L. LaDeauReplication and shedding kinetics of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in juvenile rainbow trout
Viral replication and shedding are key components of transmission and fitness, the kinetics of which are heavily dependent on virus, host, and environmental factors. To date, no studies have quantified the shedding kinetics of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), or how they are associated with replication, making it difficult to ascertain the tranAuthorsAndrew R. Wargo, Robert J. Scott, Benjamin Kerr, Gael KurathSusceptibility of ocean- and stream-type Chinook salmon to isolates of the L, U, and M genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV)
This study examined the susceptibility of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha to viral strains from the L, U, and M genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) present in western North America. The goal of this investigation was to establish a baseline understanding of the susceptibility of ocean- and stream-type Chinook salmon to infection and mortality caused by exposure toAuthorsDaniel Hernandez, Maureen K. Purcell, Carolyn S. Friedman, Gael KurathPossibility and challenges of conversion of current virus species names to Linnaean binomials
Botanical, mycological, zoological, and prokaryotic species names follow the Linnaean format, consisting of an italicized Latinized binomen with a capitalized genus name and a lower case species epithet (e.g., Homo sapiens). Virus species names, however, do not follow a uniform format, and, even when binomial, are not Linnaean in style. In this thought exercise, we attempted to convert all currentAuthorsPostler Thomas, Anna N. Clawson, Gaya K. Amarasinghe, Christopher F. Basler, Sina Bavari, Maria Benko, Kim R. Blasdell, Thomas Briese, Michael J. Buchmeier, Alexander Bukreyev, Charles H. Calisher, Kartik Chandran, Remi Charrel, Christopher S. Clegg, Peter L. Collins, Juan Carlos De la Torre, Joseph L. DeRisi, Ralf G. Dietzgen, Olga Dolnik, Ralf Durrwald, John M. Dye, Andrew J. Easton, Sebastian Emonet, Pierre Formenty, Ron A. M. Fouchier, Elodie Ghedin, Jean-Paul Gonzalez, Balazs Harrach, Roger Hewson, Masayuki Horie, Daohong Jiang, Gary P. Kobinger, Hideki Kondo, Andrew Kropinski, Mart Krupovic, Gael Kurath, Robert A. Lamb, Eric M. Leroy, Igor S. Lukashevich, Andrea Maisner, Arcady Mushegian, Sergey V. Netesov, Norbert Nowotny, Jean L. Patterson, Susan L. Payne, Janusz T. Paweska, C.J. Peters, Sheli Radoshitzky, Bertus K. Rima, Victor Romanowski, Dennis Rubbenstroth, Sead Sabanadzovic, Helene Sanfacon, Maria Salvato, Martin Schwemmle, Sophie J. Smither, Mark Stenglein, D.M. Stone, Ayato Takada, Robert B. Tesh, Keizo Tomonaga, N. Tordo, Jonathan S. Towner, Nikos Vasilakis, Victor E. Volchkov, Victoria Jensen, Peter J. Walker, Lin-Fa Wang, Arvind Varsani, Anna E. Whitfield, Francisco Murilo Zerbini, Jens H. KuhnTaxonomy of the order Mononegavirales: update 2016
In 2016, the order Mononegavirales was emended through the addition of two new families (Mymonaviridae and Sunviridae), the elevation of the paramyxoviral subfamily Pneumovirinae to family status (Pneumoviridae), the addition of five free-floating genera (Anphevirus, Arlivirus, Chengtivirus, Crustavirus, and Wastrivirus), and several other changes at the genus and species levels. This article presAuthorsC.L. Afonso, Gael Kurath, 82 Additional AuthorsCharacterization of infectious dose and lethal dose of two strains of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV)
The ability to infect a host is a key trait of a virus, and differences in infectivity could put one virus at an evolutionary advantage over another. In this study we have quantified the infectivity of two strains of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) that are known to differ in fitness and virulence. By exposing juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hosts to a wide range of virAuthorsDouglas McKenney, Gael Kurath, Andrew WargoPotential drivers of virulence evolution in aquaculture
Infectious diseases are economically detrimental to aquaculture, and with continued expansion and intensification of aquaculture, the importance of managing infectious diseases will likely increase in the future. Here, we use evolution of virulence theory, along with examples, to identify aquaculture practices that might lead to the evolution of increased pathogen virulence. We identify eight pracAuthorsDavid A. Kennedy, Gael Kurath, Ilana L. Brito, Maureen K. Purcell, Andrew F. Read, James R. Winton, Andrew R. WargoIncreasing virulence, but not infectivity, associated with serially emergent virus strains of a fish rhabdovirus
Surveillance and genetic typing of field isolates of a fish rhabdovirus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), has identified four dominant viral genotypes that were involved in serial viral emergence and displacement events in steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in western North America. To investigate drivers of these landscape-scale events, IHNV isolates designated 007, 111, 110, anAuthorsRachel Breyta, Douglas McKenney, Tarin Tesfaye, Kotaro Ono, Gael KurathNon-USGS Publications**
Kurath, G., and C. Robaglia. 1995. Genetic variation and evolution of satellite viruses and satellite RNAs. Pages 385-403 in A. Gibbs, C. Calisher, and F. Garcia-Arenal (eds.), Molecular Basis of Virus Evolution. Cambridge Press, Cambridge, U.K.Kurath, G., and J.A. Dodds. 1995. Mutation analyses of molecularly cloned satellite tobacco mosaic virus during serial passage in plants: evidence for hotspots of genetic change. RNA 1: 491-500.Kurath, G., and J.A. Dodds. 1994. Satellite tobacco mosaic virus sequence variants with only five nucleotide differences can interfere with each other in a cross protection-like phenomenon in plants. Virology 202(2): 1065-1069. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/viro.1994.1441.Rodriguez-Alvarado, G., G. Kurath, and J.A. Dodds. 1994. Symptom modification by satellite tobacco mosaic virus in pepper types and cultivars infected with helper tobamoviruses. Phytopathology 84(6): 617-621. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-84-617.Kurath, G., M.E. C. Rey, and J.A. Dodds. 1993. Tobamovirus helper specificity of satellite tobacco mosaic virus involves a domain near the 5' end of the satellite genome. Journal of General Virology 74(7): 1233-1243. DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-74-7-1233.Kurath, G., M.E. C. Rey, and J.A. Dodds. 1992. Analysis of genetic heterogeneity within the type strain of satellite tobacco mosaic virus reveals several variants and a strong bias for G to A substitution mutations. Virology 189(1): 233-244. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6822(92)90699-P.Kurath, G., and P. Palukaitis. 1990. Serial passage of infectious transcripts of a cucumber mosaic virus satellite RNA clone results in sequence heterogeneity. Virology 176(1): 8-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6822(90)90224-F.Kurath, G., and P. Palukaitis. 1989. RNA sequence heterogeneity in natural populations of three satellite RNAs of cucumber mosaic virus. Virology 173(1): 231-240. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6822(89)90239-0.Kurath, G., and P. Palukaitis. 1987. Biological activity of T7 transcripts of a prototype clone and a sequence variant clone of a satellite RNA of cucumber mosaic virus. Virology 159(2):199-208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6822(87)90456-9.Kurath, G., and J.C. Leong. 1985. Characterization of IHN virus mRNA species reveals a non-virion rhabdovirus protein. Journal of Virology 53(2):462-468.Kurath, G., K.G. Ahern, G.D. Pearson, and J.C. Leong. 1985. Molecular cloning of six mRNA species of IHNV, a fish rhabdovirus: Gene order determined by R-loop mapping. Journal of Virology 53(2): 469-476.Kurath, G., and R.Y. Morita. 1983. Some physiological studies on starvation survival of a marine Pseudomonas sp. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 45(4):1206-1211.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government