Research Project:
POTENIALLY HARMFUL TREMATODES TO AQUACULTURE TRANSMITTED BY AQUATIC BIRDS
Location: Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center
Project Number: 6225-32000-004-02
Project Type:
Specific Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 15, 2004
End Date: Sep 14, 2007
Objective:
Determine the potential for aquatic birds that frequent water associated with aquaculture to transmit trematodes to farm-raised fish. This project will evaluate trematodes found in up to 14 bird species, determine new bird hosts for recognized fish trematodes, and assess if there is a potential for the outbreak of trematodes not previously known to caused problems in cultured fish.
Approach:
Fourteen aquatic birds, anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), least bittern (lxobrychus exilis), double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), cattle egret (Bubulcus iblis), great egret (Casmerodius albus), snowy egret (Egretta thula), great blue heron (Ardea herodias), green heron (Butorides striatus), little blue heron (Egretta caerulea), belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon), black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), yellow-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax violacea) and American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), will be collected from fish production areas in Arkansas. A maximum of 30 birds per species will be collected (Federal permit MB023556-0) and the intestinal tract removed from each. Trematodes will be enumerated and preserved in Stuttgart, AR. Preserved trematodes will be sent to te Gulf Coast Research Laboratory for definitive identification using classical genetic techniques.
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