two oyster shells - top one showing inside and bottom showing outside of the shell

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Workshop Summary

Oysters & the
Chesapeake

 
Oyster Research and Restoration in U.S. Coastal Waters: Strategies for the Future
September 8-9, 2003 - Annapolis, Maryland

Abstracts
Workgroup: Frontiers in Disease Research

Assessing the Presence and Virulence of "Dermo" Disease in the Environment Using a PCR-Based Diagnostic Assay for Perkinsus marinus

Principal Investigator(s):
Gerardo R. Vasta, Center of Marine Biotechnology, Baltimore, MD, vasta@umbi.umd.edu

Co-Investigator(s):
A. Marsh

Funding Period: 1996-7

  • Validation of the first species-specific PCR assay for "Dermo".
  • Demonstration of the application of P. marinus -specific molecular technology for the assessment of populations of P. marinus in oysters along the eastern seaboard.
  • Highly sensitive detection of P. marinus in oysters, including:
  • Tissue specific detection, particularly in hemolymph sampled from live oysters.
  • Sequence-based clarification of the taxonomic status of P. marinus with respect to other protists (dinoflagellates, apicomplexans).

IMPACTS and/or BENEFITS:
The long and short term benefits to both management and essential research are manifold, and include:
  • The species-specific PCR methodology made possible the identification of additional species of Perkinsus in oysters and clams along the eastern seaboard.
  • Rapid and sensitive detection of cryptic infections in hatchery stocks, including the potential to detect infections ~ 1 month earlier than by the FTM method.
  • Rapid and routine certification of disease free oyster spat from hatcheries
  • Detection of infections / verification of disease free status in animals to be used for research.
  • Taxonomic relationships are crucial for understanding and predicting parasite behavior, based on related, well-understood protists.

PROJECT PUBLICATIONS:

Marsh, A., Wright, A. C. & Vasta, G. R. 1996. Isolation and characterization of marker genes for Perkinsus marinus. Journal of Shellfish Research 15: 516. Conference 88. Annu. Meeting of the National Shellfisheries Association, Baltimore, MD (USA), 14-18 Apr 1996

Robledo, J.A.F., Coss, C.A., Gauthier, J.D., Wright, A.C., Vasta, G.R. 1998. Species-specificity and sensitivity of the polymerase chain reaction-based assay for the detection of the parasite Perkinsus marinus in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. A comparative study with the fluid thioglycollate medium assay. Journal of Parasitology. 84: 1237-1244.

Elandalloussi, L.M., Leite, L.M., Afonso, R., Nunez, P.A., Robledo, J.A.F., Vasta, G.R., Cancela, M.L. Development of a PCR-ELISA assay for diagnosis of Perkinsus marinus and Perkinsus atlanticus infections in bivalve mollusks. Marine Biotechnology. In review.

Coss, C. A. 2000. Investigation of Perkinsus species from clams sympatric to oysters, with emphasis on infections in baltic clams Macoma balthica of Chesapeake Bay. Ph. D. Dissertation, The George Washington University, Washington, D. C.

UM-SG-TS-2003-01 www.mdsg.umd.edu
   
This publication was supported by funds from
the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program and the
Maryland and Virginia Sea Grant College Programs
[Maryland Sea Grant]
 [NOAA]
 [Virginia Sea Grant]

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