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Validation of environmental DNA sampling for determination of Ceratonova shasta (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) distribution in Plumas National Forest, CA

  • Fish Parasitology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Ceratonova shasta is the etiological agent of myxozoan-associated enteronecrosis in North American salmonids. The parasite’s life cycle involves waterborne spores and requires both a salmonid fish and a freshwater fabriciid annelid. The success and survival of annelids can be enhanced by flow moderation by dams, and through the erosion of fine sediments into stream channels following wildfires. In this study, the presence of C. shasta environmental/ex-host DNA (eDNA) in river water and substrate samples collected from areas affected by recent fire activity in California, USA, was investigated. Additionally, DNA loads in the environment were compared to C. shasta infection in sentinel-exposed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Significant associations between C. shasta detection in environmental samples and location within a wildfire perimeter (p = 0.002), between C. shasta detection in sentinel fish and exposure location within a wildfire perimeter (p = 0.015), and between C. shasta detection in fish and locations where water temperature was above the median (p < 0.001) were observed. Additionally, a higher prevalence of C. shasta infection in fish was detected where C. shasta was also detected in environmental samples (p < 0.001). Results suggest that pathogen eDNA sampling can be used as a non-invasive, rapid, specific, and sensitive method for establishing risk of C. shasta infection in wild populations. Knowledge of the complete life cycle of the target parasite, including ecology of each host, can inform the choice of eDNA sampling strategy. Environmental DNA sampling also revealed a novel species of Ceratonova, not yet observed in a host.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Matt J. Griffin from Mississippi State University for critical review of an earlier version of this manuscript.

Funding

The US Forest Service provided financial support (Grant #15-CS-11051100-038).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Christine A. Richey, Kirsten V. Kenelty, Brittany N. Stevens, Beatriz Martínez-López & Esteban Soto

  2. United States Forest Service, 39696 Highway 70, Quincy, CA, 95971, USA

    Kristina Van Stone Hopkins

  3. Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Sascha L. Hallett, Stephen D. Atkinson & Jerri L. Bartholomew

Authors
  1. Christine A. Richey
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  2. Kirsten V. Kenelty
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  3. Kristina Van Stone Hopkins
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  4. Brittany N. Stevens
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  5. Beatriz Martínez-López
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  6. Sascha L. Hallett
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  7. Stephen D. Atkinson
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  8. Jerri L. Bartholomew
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  9. Esteban Soto
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Correspondence to Esteban Soto.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Research involving animals

All applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, 95616, USA. Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Protocol #18878. Approvals by the USDA, Forest Service, Plumas National Forest and California Department of Fish and Wildlife were obtained prior to initiation of the study.

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Richey, C.A., Kenelty, K.V., Hopkins, K.V.S. et al. Validation of environmental DNA sampling for determination of Ceratonova shasta (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) distribution in Plumas National Forest, CA. Parasitol Res 119, 859–870 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06509-1

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