Vicki S. Blazer
Vicki started with the National Fish Health Research Laboratory, Leetown Science Center (now the Eastern Ecological Science Center - Leetown Research Laboratory), Kearneysville, WV in1992. She was previously employed as the Assistant Leader of the Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. She was also on the graduate faculty in the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, teac
She is active in numerous research projects within the Northeast as well as nationally and internationally. She is active in the American Fisheries Society Fish Health Section and a member of other scientific societies. She is an adjunct faculty member at West Virginia University and Penn State and serves on graduate student committees. Research areas include development of microscopic and molecular markers for understanding changes in the health and populations of wild fishes. Areas of focus include endocrine disruption, emerging diseases, fish tumor pathology and assessment at Great Lakes Areas of Concern, land use influences on fish health, reproduction and immunomodulation.
Professional Experience
Postdoctoral Research Associate, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia
Assistant Leader, Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia
Research Fishery Biologist, Leetown Science Center
Education and Certifications
B.S. in Marine Science and Biology Southampton College, Long Island University.
PhD in Fisheries, Aquaculture and Pathology, Rhode Island University
Affiliations and Memberships*
Adjunct Professor, West Virginia University
Adjunct Professor, Penn State University
Science and Products
Groundwater discharges as a source of phytoestrogens and other agriculturally derived contaminants to streams
Development of a suite of functional immune assays and initial assessment of their utility in wild smallmouth bass health assessments
Effects of early life stage exposure of largemouth bass to atrazine or a model estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol)
The effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
A fishery after the decline: The Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass story
Modified QuEChERS extraction for the analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using GC × GC-TOFMS
Hyperpigmented melanistic skin lesions of smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu from the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Draft genome of an adomavirus associated with raised mucoid skin lesions on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Mercury bioaccumulation in freshwater fishes of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Assessment of microscopic pathology in fishes collected at sites impacted by wood tar in Pennsylvania
Reconnaissance of surface water estrogenicity and the prevalence of intersex in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) inhabiting New Jersey
Tissue distribution and immunomodulation in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) following dietary exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl Aroclors and food deprivation
Science and Products
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Groundwater discharges as a source of phytoestrogens and other agriculturally derived contaminants to streams
Groundwater discharge zones in streams are important habitats for aquatic organisms. The use of discharge zones for thermal refuge and spawning by fish and other biota renders them susceptible to potential focused discharge of groundwater contamination. Currently, there is a paucity of information about discharge zones as a potential exposure pathway of chemicals to stream ecosystems. Using thermaAuthorsTyler J. Thompson, Martin A. Briggs, Patrick J. Phillips, Vicki S. Blazer, Kelly L. Smalling, Dana W. Kolpin, Tyler WagnerDevelopment of a suite of functional immune assays and initial assessment of their utility in wild smallmouth bass health assessments
Methods were developed for measuring immune function in Micropterus dolomieu (smallmouth bass). The ultimate objective is to monitor and evaluate changes over time in immune status and disease resistance in conjunction with other characteristics of fish health and environmental stressors. To test these methods for utility in ecotoxicological studies, 192 smallmouth bass, age 2 years and older, werAuthorsCheyenne R. Smith, Christopher A. Ottinger, Heather L. Walsh, Vicki S. BlazerEffects of early life stage exposure of largemouth bass to atrazine or a model estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol)
Endocrine disrupting contaminants are of continuing concern for potentially contributing to reproductive dysfunction in largemouth and smallmouth bass in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW) and elsewhere. Exposures to atrazine (ATR) have been hypothesized to have estrogenic effects on vertebrate endocrine systems. The incidence of intersex in male smallmouth bass from some regions of CBW has been cAuthorsJessica Kristin Leet, Catherine A. Richter, Robert S. Cornman, Jason P. Berninger, Ramji K. Bhandari, Diane K. Nicks, James L. Zajicek, Vicki S. Blazer, Donald E. TillittThe effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
There is an increasing emphasis on effects-based monitoring to document responses associated with exposure to complex mixtures of chemicals, climate change, pathogens, parasites and other environmental stressors in fish populations. For decades aquatic monitoring programs have included the collection of tissues preserved for microscopic pathology. Consequently, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embeddedAuthorsHeather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Adam SperryA fishery after the decline: The Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass story
The Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu fishery in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania, is one of the most socioeconomically important fisheries in the region and has recently undergone considerable changes. These changes started in 2005, when disease was documented in young-of-the-year (age-0) Smallmouth Bass. Shortly thereafter, declines in abundance of both juveniles and adults were obseAuthorsMegan K. Schall, Geoffrey D. Smith, Vicki S. Blazer, Heather L. Walsh, Yan Li, Tyler WagnerModified QuEChERS extraction for the analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using GC × GC-TOFMS
Signs of disease, such as external lesions, have been prevalent in smallmouth bass throughout the Susquehanna River Basin, USA. Previous targeted chemical studies in this system have identified known persistent organic pollutants, but a common explanatory link across multiple affected sites remains undetermined. A fast and robust extraction method that can be applied to young-of-year fish is needeAuthorsPaige Teehan, Megan K. Schall, Vicki S. Blazer, Beate Gruber, Frank L DormanHyperpigmented melanistic skin lesions of smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu from the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Hyperpigmented melanistic skin lesions (HPMLs) of smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu are observed in the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers, Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA. Routine, nonlethal population surveys were conducted at 8 sites on the mainstem Susquehanna River and 9 on the Juniata River, a tributary of the Susquehanna River, between 2012 and 2018, and the prevalence of HPMLs was documented.AuthorsVicki S. Blazer, Kelsey T. Young, Geoffrey D. Smith, Adam Sperry, Luke R. IwanowiczDraft genome of an adomavirus associated with raised mucoid skin lesions on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Raised mucoid skin lesions have been observed on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) for years. Here we report a draft genome of a novel adomavirus (Micropterus dolomieu adomavirus 2) associated with this disease. The circular genome is 17,561 bp and most similar to that of alpha-Adomaviruses.AuthorsLuke Iwanowicz, Kelsey T. Young, Cynthia R. Adams, Vicki S. Blazer, Geoffrey Smith, Robert S. CornmanMercury bioaccumulation in freshwater fishes of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Chemical contaminants are a threat to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with mercury (Hg) among the most prevalent causes of impairment. Despite this, large-scale patterns of Hg concentrations, and the potential risks to fish, wildlife, and humans across the watershed, are poorly understood. We compiled fish Hg data from state monitoring programs and recent research efforts to address this knowledge gAuthorsJames Willacker, Collin Eagles-Smith, Vicki S. BlazerAssessment of microscopic pathology in fishes collected at sites impacted by wood tar in Pennsylvania
In an effort to determine whether fish populations in an area affected by wood tar waste exhibited health effects, fish were collected and analyzed with histopathology. Multiple species, including Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdii), Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus), White Sucker (Catostumus commersonii), Redside Dace (Clinostomus elongatus), Common Shiner (Luxilus cornutus), and Western BlacknosAuthorsHeather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia M. Mazik, Adam J. Sperry, Diana PavlickReconnaissance of surface water estrogenicity and the prevalence of intersex in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) inhabiting New Jersey
The observation of testicular oocytes in male fishes has been utilized as a biomarker of estrogenic endocrine disruption. A reconnaissance project led in the Northeastern United States (US) during the period of 2008–2010 identified a high prevalence of intersex smallmouth bass on or near US Fish & Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges that included the observation of 100% prevalence in smallmAuthorsLuke Iwanowicz, Kelly L. Smalling, Vicki S. Blazer, Ryan P. Braham, Lakyn R. Sanders, Anna Boetsma, Nick Procopio, Sandra Goodrow, Gary Buchanan, Daniel Millemann, Bruce Ruppel, John Vile, Brian Henning, John AbatemarcoTissue distribution and immunomodulation in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) following dietary exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl Aroclors and food deprivation
Although most countries banned manufacturing of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) over 40 years ago, PCBs remain a global concern for wildlife and human health due to high bioaccumulation and biopersistance. PCB uptake mechanisms have been well studied in many taxa; however, less is known about depuration rates and how post-exposure diet can influence PCB concentrations and immune response in fishAuthorsSahnnon L White, Devin A DeMario, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Vicki S. Blazer, Tyler Wagner - News
*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