The recent detection of the invasive colonial tunicate Diplosoma listerianum in Havre- Aubert, Magdalen Islands (Quebec, Canada) in 2008, prompted the development of a molecular assay as a method to detect and monitor for the potential invasion of this species in Prince Edward ...

Using a randomized controlled trial design, a randomly allocated intervention group of 15 cows received a slow-release bolus that delivered 100 days of monensin. The negative control group of 15 cows received a placebo bolus that was identical to the monensin bolus, except without the monensin. Two ...

Invasive tunicates are creating costly fouling problems to the mussel aquaculture industry in many regions including Prince Edward Island, Canada. These invasive tunicates are also posing a threat to the ecosystem integrity of native species. There are currently four invasive tunicate species presen...

In a cross-sectional study of 633 pigs from 21 herds on Prince Edward Island, Canada (PEI), the prevalence of infection with Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and the genotypes and species of isolates were determined in order to establish the zoonotic potential of pigs in this region. As determined by di...

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and assemblages of Giardia and species of Cryptosporidium on beef farms in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, including the water sources associated with the farms, and to determine risk factors for infection of cattle with these parasit...

Immune function gene expression in Mya arenaria haemocytes was evaluated following in vivo infection with Vibrio splendidus LGP32-GFP and 7SHRW. Elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) with 2 (EF-2), after challenge with LGP32-GFP, and EF-1α with the ribosomal protein S-18, after challenge with 7SHRW, were ...

© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Haemic neoplasia (HN) is a leukemia-like disease that affects at least 20 species of marine bivalves including soft shell clam, Mya arenaria. Since the disease was discovered in 1969, the etiology remains unknown. A retroviral etiology has been suggested based on the detection of reverse transcripta...

There are currently four invasive tunicate species which are causing significant challenges to the aquaculture industry in Atlantic Canada: Ciona intestinalis, Styela clava, Botryllus schlosseri and Botrylloides violaceus. These tunicates foul mussel socks, aquaculture gear, boat hulls and wharves. ...

The scuticociliate Anophryoides haemophila, causes bumper car disease in American lobster (Homarus americanus) in commercial holding facilities in Atlantic Canada. While the parasite has been recognized since the 1970s and much has been learned about its biology, minimal molecular characterization e...

Waterborne outbreaks caused by Cryptosporidium and Giardia are well documented, while the public health implications for foodborne illness from these parasites have not been adequately considered. Cryptosporidium and Giardia are common in domestic livestock, where young animals can have a high preva...

This case report provides pathologic and confirmatory molecular characterization of an outbreak of bumper car disease caused by the scuticociliate Anophryoides haemophila in American lobster Homarus americanus, from a commercial holding facility in Nova Scotia, Canada. Although sporadically and anec...

Host-pathogen interaction models in aquatic species are useful tools for understanding the pathogenicity of diseases in cultured and wild populations. In this study we report the differential in vivo response of soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria) hemocytes against two strains of Vibrio splendidus. Respo...

An intermoult male American lobster, Homarus americanus, with severe intestinal lesions was encountered while collecting samples of aerobic intestinal bacteria from lobsters held in an artificial sea-water recirculation aquarium system. Grossly, the intestine was firm, thickened, and white. Histolog...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a vaccine in the prevention of Giardia duodenalis infection in calves. Six 2-week old calves were vaccinated subcutaneously with a sonicated G. duodenalis trophozoite vaccine. Six 2-week old control calves received a subcutaneous injection ...

Reverse transcriptase (RT) activity has been reported in bivalves affected by haemic neoplasia (HN). Since all retroviruses have RT, detection of RT activity was regarded as evidence for the retroviral etiology of HN. This study investigates the relationship between RT levels and the progress of HN ...

Prevalence of Giardia duodenalis in dairy and beef cattle on farms around Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (Canada) was determined by analyzing feces using direct immunogluorescence antibody microscopy. Genotypes were determined by 16S-rRNZ sequencing. Fecal samples (n=182) were collected ...

A combination of 16S rRNA sequencing and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to evaluate the genetic diversity within Aerococcus viridans var. homari, the causative agent of gaffkemia in lobsters. A collection of 7 A. viridans var. homari strains and 2 avirulent A. viridans-lik...

Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis continues to be an ongoing problem for commercial finfish aquaculture and has also sporadically been associated with mass mortalities of commercially relevant marine invertebrates. Despite the ubiquity and importance of this amphizoic amoeba, our understanding of the biolo...

We have performed a genomic characterization of a kinetoplastid protist living within the amoebozoan Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis. The genome of this "Ichthyobodo-related organism" was found to be unexpectedly large, with at least 11 chromosomes between 1.0 and 3.5 Mbp and a total genome size of at le...

Since all retroviruses possess reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme, reverse transcriptase activity has been the main supportive evidence of retroviral etiology of haemic neoplasia (HN) in soft shell clams, Mya arenaria. The objective of the present study was to search for a putative retrovirus in vari...

ABSTRACT. Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis, the etiological agent of amoebic gill disease, has shown surprising sequence variability among different copies of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene within an isolate. This intra-genomic microheterogeneity was confirmed and extended to an analysis of the internal trans...