Project: Investigating competition among lineages of Tubifex tubifex and the potential for biological control of whirling disease in natural streams

Primary Investigator: Dana Winkleman
Project Summary: Recent evidence indicates that populations of Tubifex tubifex, the invertebrate host for Myxobolus cerebralis, may be manipulated to reduce the prevalence of the whirling disease parasite and such manipulation could be a powerful management tool in controlling the disease. There are six lineages of T. tubifex identified by mitochondrial DNA and numbered I through IV. Some are considered susceptible to M. cerebralis infection and produce large numbers of TAMs, while other lineages are considered resistant and produce none. Studies have indicated that Lineage V T. tubifex are resistant to the parasite and have reduced TAM production. Also, laboratory research has shown that Lineage V T. tubifex may out-compete Lineage III worms when infected by M. cerebralis. Reportedly, the proportion of Lineage V T. tubifex relative to Lineage III worms seems to be increasing in areas of Colorado and data indicate this increase is associated with a decrease in TAM production. If these results can be replicated and T. tubifex lineage composition manipulated in field settings, then managers would have a new management option to control and reduce the prevalence of M. cerebralis. This continuing research investigation is performing laboratory experiments to substantiate the competitive relationships of Lineage III and Lineage V T. tubifex, and to further evaluate the effectiveness of introducing Lineage V T. tubifex in a field experiment into a stream where only Lineage III has thus far been detected. The goal is to determine whether the Lineage V T. tubifex establish and displace Lineage III T. tubifex. Secondly, this work will evaluate the ability of Lineage V T. tubifex to out-compete Lineage III T. tubifex under different initial relative densities and with and without the presence of Myxobolus cerebralis, and will confirm the resistance of Lineage V T. tubifex to the M. cerebralis parasite.
Funding Period: 2006-2007
Final Report: 2006-2007 final report not yet available
Dataset(s) associated with this project:

There are no datasets associated with this project.