Meeting Abstract
Aquaculture is a rapidly expanding agricultural field, especially at the international level. One of the largest issues which arise from raising high densities of fish in a confined area is infection and rapid transmission of disease within the population. There are currently few federally approved pharmaceutical treatments for fish, making rapid and accurate diagnosis essential for maintaining healthy populations. The current study focuses on the infection of rainbow trout Oncorynchus mykiss by the gram-negative bacteria Flavobacterium psychrophilum which manifests as Bacterial Cold Water Disease (BCWD). The approach involves examining the physiological effects of infection in these fish at the protein level. Using LC-MS techniques, the majority of proteins in the kidney, spleen, plasma, and muscles at site of infection are analyzed for differential abundance between infected and control populations. Artificially infected cohorts are compared against fish taken from an active hatchery to determine whether lab results are reflected in a real-world context. Sets of proteins which change in abundance as a response to BCWD infection make ideal candidates as bio-markers which can be used in the development of diagnostic tools. This method also reveals the underlying mechanisms of the infection and response through gene ontology and pathway analysis. Initial analysis indicates infection affects physiological processes associated with muscle contraction, complement cascade immune response, and cell differentiation. Identifying these pathways and specific proteins of interest can ultimately be used to promote the search for effective treatments. Supported by NSF Grant IOS-1355098
