Salmonid Whirling Disease

A RNAi-based therapeutic proof of concept targets salmonid whirling disease in vivo

Myxobolus cerebralis is a cnidarian-myxozoan parasite that causes salmonid whirling disease. M. cerebralis alternates between two hosts: (1) a vertebrate salmonid and (2) an invertebrate oligochaete, Tubifex tubifex. There is no successful treatment for salmonid whirling disease. MyxSP-1 is a M. cerebralis serine protease implicated in whirling disease pathogenesis. We hypothesized that short-i...

An investigation into the use of Class A fire- fighting foams to control the spread of whirling disease by wildland fire-fighting activities

Whirling disease is a serious problem that impacts wild and hatchery salmonid stocks across the globe. Whirling disease is caused by a microscopic parasite, Myxobolus cerebralis, with a complex life history involving both salmonid and oligochaete worm hosts. In this study, we investigated the capability of wildland firefighting foams to inactivate M. cerebralis by indirect methods. Specifically...

Susceptibility of two strains of rainbow trout (one with suspected resistance to whirling disease) to Myxobolus cerebralis infection.

The susceptibility of 2 strains of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, 1 from North America (TL) and 1 from Germany (GR), to Myxobolus cerebralis (the cause of salmonid whirling disease) was assessed following exposure to the infectious stages (triactinomyxons). Two laboratory experiments were conducted with age-matched rainbow trout of each strain. At the beginning of the study, the 2 trout str...

Construction and Screening of an Expression cDNA Library from the Triactinomyxon Spores of Myxobolus cerebralis, the causative agent of Salmonid Whirling Diseases

The effects of Myxobolus cerebralis myxospore dose on triactinomyxon production and biology of Tubifex tubifex from two geographic regions.

The aquatic oligochaete Tubifex tubifex is an obligate host of Myxobolus cerebralis, the causative agent of salmonid whirling disease. Tubifex tubifex can become infected by ingesting myxospores of M. cerebralis that have been released into sediments upon death and decomposition of infected salmonids. Infected worms release triactinomyxons into the water column that then infect salmonids. How t...