WE AIM TO PROVIDE A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO SUPPORT THE US OYSTER AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY IN RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL EMERGENCE AND SPREAD OF HIGHLY VIRULENT MICROVARIANTS (ΜVARS) OF AN OYSTER-KILLING VIRUS, OSHV-1. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO SUPPORT THE RAPIDLY EXPANDING EASTERN OYSTER AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY BY PROVIDING TOOLS TO MITIGATE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF AN OSHV-1 ΜVAR INTRODUCTION. THOUGH PRIMARILY KNOWN AS A PATHOGEN OF PACIFIC OYSTERS, RECENT WORK BY OUR TEAM INDICATES EASTERN OYSTERS CAN BE INFECTED AND SUFFER MORTALITY FROM OSHV-1 ΜVARS. FURTHER TESTING IS NECESSARY TO DETERMINE IF RESISTANCE TO THE OSHV-1 ΜVARS IS A HERITABLE TRAIT SUCH AS EASTERN OYSTER RESISTANCE TO OTHER DISEASES. WE WILL BREED OYSTER FAMILIES CURRENTLY USED BY THE EASTERN OYSTER AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY AT THE VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE. THEN WE WILL EXPOSE OYSTER FAMILIES (AT TWO IMPORTANT LIFE STAGES) IN QUARANTINE (AWAY FROM THE OCEAN) TO OSHV-1 IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THEIR SUSCEPTIBILITY AND SURVIVAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER RESISTANCE TO OSHV-1 IS A HERITABLE TRAIT. FINALLY, WE WILL USE WORKSHOPS AND SYMPOSIA TO INCREASE THE KNOWLEDGE OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF OSHV-1 BY BROADLY DISTRUTING INFORMATION TO OYSTER FARMERS, MANAGERS, AND SCIENTISTS AT BOTH THE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL. WE EXPECT TO HELP SAFEGUARD THE US OYSTER AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY BY PROVIDING BOTH INFORMATION ON BOTH SPECIFIC FAMILY LINES MORE RESISTANT TO OSHV-1 AND INCREASING KNOWLEDGE ON BIOSECURITY.

University Of California, Davis

Investigators