Replicating Natural Conditions in the Lab to Test Disease Transmission

Fishy Fridays

Weekly spotlight on fisheries science journal articles

 

Jeff Kopaska
AFS Executive Director
jkopaska@fisheries.org

Today’s article reminded me that in order to determine appropriate solutions to an issue, you have to understand the problem. Seasonal temperature swings, and hot summer days, have long caused fish (and most other mobile creature) to find temperature refugia. These actions often result in aggregations of animals, and cool pools in rivers are one of these aggregation points. As the animals come in closer contact with each other, stressors are more likely, and the incidence of disease transmissions increases. Understanding the dynamics of disease transmission and outcomes for impacted individuals is challenging in natural systems, so fish health experts often try to replicate natural conditions in the laboratory. However static baths, often used for dosing studies, are not reminiscent of flowing water riverine environments. This article compared columnaris exposure on Chinook Salmon in static baths and flowing-water systems, moving toward a greater understanding of impacts and outcomes on wild salmon populations. Enjoy!

Comparison of static-bath and flowing-water Flavobacterium columnare challenge methods with juvenile Chinook Salmon