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Mark Gaikowski

Position title: Research Physiologist

Email: mgaikowski@usgs.gov
Phone: 608.781.6284
Fax: 608.783.6066

Education:
1994 M.A., Biology, University of South Dakota
1991 B.S., Biology, University of South Dakota

Primary Responsibilities/Activities:
As a research physiologist in the Fisheries Management Chemical and Aquaculture Drug team, I lead a research work group to describe the efficacy, animal safety and environmental safety of aquaculture drugs that are vital to federal and state efforts to manage the nation’s fisheries. A major portion of our work supports data submissions to ensure approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of safe and efficacious therapeutants for use by public resource agencies and private commercial interests. Data generated by our work group are routinely collected under strict compliance to provisions of the Good Laboratory Practices Act to ensure it meets FDA’s data collection requirements. As part of our efforts to increase the availability of safe and effective aquaculture drugs, I serve as the Co-Leader of the Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture’s National Aquaculture Drug Research Forum (NADRF). In addition to my role as NADRF Co-Leader, I also serve as technical project team co-team leader on its Environmental Effects team and am active in its Efficacy and Target Animal Safety team.

Research Interests:

• Evaluation of the Environmental Safety of Aquaculture Drugs
• Evaluation of the Safety of Aquaculture Drugs
• Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Aquaculture Drugs
• Development of Disease Models of Aquatic Pathogens
• Transfer of Methods Used to Evaluate Drug Efficacy and Safety in Large Animal Medicine to Aquatic Organisms
• Evaluation of the Use of Electricity to Narcotize or Capture Fish

Active Projects:

• Evaluation of the Environmental Safety of Oxytetracycline-medicated feed (Fisheries Management and Aquaculture Drug Team)
• Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Aquaflor® medicated feed to control mortality caused by Streptococcus iniae in Tilapia (Fisheries Management and Aquaculture Drug Team)
• Elimination of Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causative agent of Bacterial Kidney Disease, from select salmonid eggs and juveniles (Fisheries Management and Aquaculture Drug Team)
• Development of an external columnaris infection model in fish (Fisheries Management and Aquaculture Drug Team)
• Improving electrofishing methods to capture juvenile lake sturgeon (Fisheries Management and Aquaculture Drug Team)

Select Publications:
Ronan, P.J., M.P. Gaikowski, S.J. Hamilton, K.J. Buhl, C.H. Summers.  2007.  Ammonia causes decreased brain monoamines in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), Brain Research, 1147: 184-191.

Gaikowski, M.P., W.J. Larson, J.J. Steuer, and W.H. Gingerich.  2004.  Validation of two dilution models to predict chloramine-T concentrations in aquaculture facility effluent. Aquaculture Engineering.  30:127-140

Gaikowski, M.P., J.C. Wolf, R.G. Endris, and W.H. Gingerich.  2003.  Safety of Aquaflor® (Florfenicol, 50% Type A Medicated Article), Administered in Feed to Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus.  Toxicologic Pathology.  31:689-697

Gaikowski, M.P., J.J. Rach, M. Drobish, J. Hamilton, T. Harder, L.A. Lee, C. Moen, and A. Moore.  2003.  Efficacy of hydrogen peroxide to control mortality associated with saprolegniasis on walleye, white sucker, and paddlefish eggs.  North American Journal of Aquaculture.  65:349-355.

Gaikowski, M.P., W.H. Gingerich, and S. Gutreuter.  2001.  Short-Duration Electrical Immobilization of Lake Trout.  North American Journal of Fisheries Management.  21:381-392.

Gaikowski, M.P., S.J. Hamilton, K.J. Buhl, S.F. McDonald, and C.H. Summers.  1996.  Acute toxicity of three fire-retardant and two fire-suppressant foam formulations to the early life stages of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.  15:1365-1374.

Links:
Aquaculture Drug Research and Development

Research support to the Federal-State Drug Approval Partnership Project

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