Lyons M. Maille

No Thumbnail Available
Last Name
Lyons
First Name
M. Maille
ORCID

Filters

2005 - 2008 2
1 1
2
Reset filters

Settings
Author: Gast, Rebecca J. ×

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Article

Environmental distribution and persistence of Quahog Parasite Unknown (QPX)

2008-09-24 , Gast, Rebecca J. , Moran, Dawn M. , Audemard, Corinne , Lyons, M. Maille , DeFaveri, Jacquelin , Reece, Kimberly S. , Leavitt, Dale F. , Smolowitz, Roxanna M.

Quahog Parasite Unknown (QPX) is the cause of mass mortality events of hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria from Virginia, USA, to New Brunswick, Canada. Aquaculture areas in Massachusetts, USA, have been particularly hard hit. The parasite has been shown to be a directly infective organism, but it is unclear whether it could exist or persist outside of its clam host. We used molecular methods to examine water, sediment, seaweeds, seagrass and various invertebrates for the presence of QPX. Sites in Virginia and Massachusetts were selected based upon the incidence of QPX-induced clam die-offs, and they were monitored seasonally. QPX was detectable in almost all of our different sample types from Massachusetts, indicating that the parasite was widely distributed in the environment. Significantly more samples from Massachusetts were positive than from Virginia, and there was a seasonal pattern to the types of samples positive from Massachusetts. The data suggest that, although it may be difficult to completely eradicate QPX from the environment, it may be possible to keep the incidence of disease under control through good plot husbandry and the removal of infected and dying clams.

View
Thumbnail Image
Preprint

Lethal marine snow : pathogen of bivalve mollusc concealed in marine aggregates

2005-06-14 , Lyons, M. Maille , Ward, J. Evan , Smolowitz, Roxanna M. , Uhlinger, Kevin R. , Gast, Rebecca J.

We evaluated marine aggregates as environmental reservoirs for a thraustochytrid pathogen, Quahog Parasite Unknown (QPX), of the northern quahog or hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria. Positive results from in situ hybridization and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis confirm the presence of QPX in marine aggregates collected from coastal embayments in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where QPX outbreaks have occurred. In laboratory experiments, aggregates were observed and recorded by entering a quahog’s pallial cavity, thereby delivering embedded particles from the water column to its benthic bivalve host. The occurrence of pathogen-laden aggregates in coastal areas experiencing repeated disease outbreaks suggests a means for the spread and survival of pathogens between epidemics and provides a specific target for environmental monitoring of those pathogens.

View