Project: Resolving Uncertainties in Myxobolus cerebralis Introduction and Establishment Risks

Primary Investigator: Jerri Bartholomew
Project Summary: This research will determine whether Tubifex lineage/RAPD markers are a practical tool for assessing the risk of M. cerebralis establishment in a system and if so, the investigators will develop recommendations for use of these markers in a risk assessment. An overarching question in developing risk assessment scenarios is "Can T. tubifex genotype be used as a predictor of the susceptibility of a system to establishment of M. cerebralis?" A fragmented dataset exists for lineages as an indicator of M. cerebralis severity. Data is not yet available for all lineages and different studies have recorded the susceptibility of worm populations to infection in different ways. In collaboration with Dr. Kerans, the research team will conduct a comprehensive examination of the five lineages found in North America to provide a knowledge base with which they can make general conclusions pertinent to risk assessment and management. Because differences in resistance may occur in worms of the same lineage but from different geographic locations, researchers will characterize geographically separate worm populations using RAPD markers, which will provide better resolution of lineages and should support any geographic variation in susceptibility and parasite production. The development of these techniques will enable researchers to more clearly assess M. cerebralis establishment potential in at-risk areas by correlating their worm genotypes with those known to propagate the parasite. Outcomes of this research will include: (1)Recommendations for sampling and analysis of T. tubifex for the purposes of a risk assessment. (2)Input data for three risk assessments currently in progress, one for the Willamette River, Oregon, as a model for lower Columbia River Basin tributaries; one for the Deschutes River, Oregon; and one for Alaska.
Funding Period: 2005-2006
Final Report: 2005-2006 final report not yet available
Dataset(s) associated with this project:

Adult Summer Steelhead Strays Found in the Willamette River Basin (Oregon)

Distribution of Tubifex tubifex lineages in the Willamette River Basin (OR)