Seasonal Pathological Differences of Mycobacteriosis in Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis), also called rockfish, is a treasured species in sportfishing in Chesapeake Bay and helps to maintain the stability of the estuarine food webs. Starting in 1997, many striped bass captured from Virginia and Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay were observed to have poor body conditions and ulcerative skin lesions. It was soon to be discovered that this infection was connected to the acid-fast Mycobacteria. Due to the late discovery of this disease, there is little knowledge of prevalence and pathogenesis in the aquatic ecosystems.
Since 2003, the Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring and Assessment Program (ChesMMAP) from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science has collected spleens from striped bass caught from the Chesapeake Bay for the study of mycobacteriosis. On-site physical observations were made of each capture and each size class was then further analyzed for visual sex-determination and otolith-based aging. After processing of spleens, histological observations of splenic mycobacteriosis such as quantifying granuloma count, granuloma size, and the average number of granulomas per spleen were recorded.
Data analysis was performed with the data collected to form connections between the seasonal factors and the disease manifestation for the sample. From the logistic regression and model averaging analysis, the age of the fish was a significant factor associated with disease prevalence. Suggestions for future analysis includes studying the pattern of manifestation in specific year class and evaluating any possible correlations between water quality and disease prevalence.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
David Gauthier
College Affiliation
College of Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster
Disciplines
Aquaculture and Fisheries | Bacteriology | Biodiversity | Pathogenic Microbiology
Session Title
Pathogen Biology from Land to Sea
Location
Zoom Room JJ
Start Date
3-20-2021 3:00 PM
End Date
3-20-2021 3:55 PM
Seasonal Pathological Differences of Mycobacteriosis in Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)
Zoom Room JJ
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis), also called rockfish, is a treasured species in sportfishing in Chesapeake Bay and helps to maintain the stability of the estuarine food webs. Starting in 1997, many striped bass captured from Virginia and Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay were observed to have poor body conditions and ulcerative skin lesions. It was soon to be discovered that this infection was connected to the acid-fast Mycobacteria. Due to the late discovery of this disease, there is little knowledge of prevalence and pathogenesis in the aquatic ecosystems.
Since 2003, the Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring and Assessment Program (ChesMMAP) from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science has collected spleens from striped bass caught from the Chesapeake Bay for the study of mycobacteriosis. On-site physical observations were made of each capture and each size class was then further analyzed for visual sex-determination and otolith-based aging. After processing of spleens, histological observations of splenic mycobacteriosis such as quantifying granuloma count, granuloma size, and the average number of granulomas per spleen were recorded.
Data analysis was performed with the data collected to form connections between the seasonal factors and the disease manifestation for the sample. From the logistic regression and model averaging analysis, the age of the fish was a significant factor associated with disease prevalence. Suggestions for future analysis includes studying the pattern of manifestation in specific year class and evaluating any possible correlations between water quality and disease prevalence.