Project: Assessing the Density and Distribution of Tubifex tubifex Lineages in Windy Gap Reservoir, Colorado

Primary Investigator: Dana Winkleman
Project Summary: Studies in the 1990s revealed that Windy Gap Reservoir (WGR) was a major source of triactinomyxon (TAM) actinospores of Myxobolus cerebralis that contributed to the demise of wild rainbow trout in the upper Colorado River in Middle Park, Colorado. Between April 1997 and December 2000, monthly water filtration studies demonstrated TAM densities ranged from five to 25 per liter in river water leaving WGR. However, TAM densities in water leaving the reservoir declined 95 to 99 percent beginning in 2001. Data gathered over the past four years do not support the hypotheses that declines in TAM production are the result changes in water temperature, declines in oligochaete densities or other impacts related to the 2001-2002 drought. Data collected in 2004 suggest a shift in the Tubifex tubifex worm population in WGR away from the highly-susceptible strain III worm toward the strain V oligochaete known to be resistant to M. cerebralis infection. The objective of this study is to determine the spatial distribution of the relative abundance of the four different strains (I, III, V and VI) of T. tubifex in WGR and ascertain whether TAM production is negatively correlated with the strain V component of the oligochaete population. If this is the case, strain V T. tubifex could be introduced into pond, lake, and stream habitats where M. cerebralis was enzootic to reduce ambient levels of infection or eliminate the parasite.
Funding Period: 2005-2006
Final Report: 2005-2006 final report not yet available
Dataset(s) associated with this project:

There are no datasets associated with this project.