Dr. Mark Strom
Program Manager
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Molecular Pathogenesis
Aeromonas salmonicida
Renibacterium salmoninarum
R. salmoninarum Genome
Project
Vibrio vulnificus
Diagnostics development,
identification tools
Applied Studies
BKD vaccines
and chemotherapeutics
Disease Diagnostics
and Pathology
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Current Research - Renibacterium salmoninarum
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Typical swollen "football" shape of juvenile
chinook with BKD
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Renibacterium salmoninarum is the cause of bacterial kidney disease (BKD), a chronic,
debilitating disease with high mortality, that is characterized by granulomatous lesions
primarily on the kidney and other organs. The disease occurs worldwide in cultured and wild
salmon. BKD affects the health, fitness and survival of salmonids at all life stages during
both fresh and saltwater phases. In the Pacific Northwest Columbia River drainage and estuary,
it is a serious problem in cultured broodstocks of endangered chinook and sockeye salmon and
hatchery raised fish. Currently there are no vaccines available to prevent R.
salmoninarum infections, and antibiotic treatment has also proven less than optimal (go to
our BKD vaccines and chemotherapeutics section).
The overall goal of our studies on R. salmoninarum is to facilitate
disease management and risk assessment by developing
improved methods for diagnosis, control and prevention of
BKD. This will entail identifying and characterizing bacterial virulence factors through genetics and molecular biology. However, there are several difficulties in applying
molecular genetic techniques to this organism, including
it's low optimum growth temperature (15 C) and slow growth
rate. Therefore much of our current work is focused on
developing the methodology and tools that we will need to
isolate and characterize important virulence determinants.
Much of our work has focused on the genetic characterization of a protein found on the surface
of R. salmoninarum, called MSA for major soluble antigen, or P57 for it's molecular mass. MSA
appears to be an important virulence determinant, with a role postulated to be involved in
target cell adherence or invasion. We have shown that there are two identical copies of the
gene that encodes this abundant protein (msa1 and msa2). More recently, we have been
able to introduce plasmid constructs carrying msa promoter fusions to the gene for green
fluorescent protein (GFP) into the R. salmoninarum chromosome in a site-specific manner and
demonstrate that both promoters are active. This work is prelude to an attempt to engineer
specific msa mutant strains in order to determine the role of MSA in the virulence of
this pathogen.
More information:
Project lead(s): Rhodes
Published papers:
Rhodes, L. D., A. Coady, and M. S. Strom. 2002. Expression of duplicate msa genes in the salmonid
pathogen Renibacterium salmoninarum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:5480-5487. [Abstract:
AEM |
PubMed]
Rhodes, L. D., T. H. Grayson, S. M. Alexander, and M. S. Strom. 2000. Description and characterization
of IS994, a putative IS3 family insertion sequence from the salmon pathogen,
Renibacterium salmoninarum. Gene 244:97-107 [
Abstract]
O'Farrell, C. L. and M. S. Strom. 1999. Differential expression of the virulence-associated protein p57 and
characterization of its duplicated gene msa in virulent and attenuated strains of Renibacterium salmoninarum.
Dis. Aquat. Org. 38:115-123. [Abstract:
DAO |
PubMed]
Rhodes, L. D., W. B. Nilsson, and M. S. Strom. 1998. Sensitive detection of Renibacterium
salmoninarum in whole fry, blood, and other tissues of pacific salmon by reverse transcription-polymerase
chain reaction. Mol. Mar. Biol. Biotechnol. 7:270-279.
[
Abstract]
Recent Meeting Presentations:
Rhodes, L. D., A. M. Coady, and M. S. Strom. 2002. Molecular genetics of major soluble
antigen (MSA) in the salmonid pathogen, Renibacterium salmoninarum. International Symposium
on Aquatic Animal Health, New Orleans, LA, Sept. 2-6, 2002.
Rhodes, L. D., L. W. Harrell, C. K. Rathbone, S. C. Corbett, and M. S. Strom. 2001. Studies of major soluble antigen (MSA) in Renibacterium
salmoninarum, the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease in salmonid fish. Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratory Symposium "Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Defense", Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory, New York, September 12-16, 2001.
Strom, M. S. 2000. Using the RT-PCR assay to detect Renibacterium salmoninarum.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game Fish Health Workshop, Boise, ID, July 19-20,
2000 (also moderated bacteriology section of workshop).
Harrell, L. W., C. K. Rathbone, M. E. Peterson, F. T. Poysky, M. J. Crewson and
M. S. Strom. 2000. Observations on the Efficacy of Azithromycin for
Chemotherapy of Bacterial Kidney Disease. Western Fish Disease Workshop, Gig
Harbor, WA, June 28-29, 2000.
Poysky, F. T. , M. E. Peterson, L. D. Rhodes, and M. S. Strom. 2000. Increased
growth rate of Renibacterium salmoninarum in modified KDM2 media. Western Fish
Disease Workshop, Gig Harbor, WA, June 28-29, 2000
Rhodes, L. D., T. H. Grayson, S. M. Alexander, and M. S. Strom. 2000. An
Insertion Sequence Element in Renibacterium salmoninarum with Potential for
Isolate Differentiation. Western Fish Disease Workshop, Gig Harbor, WA, June
28-29, 2000.
O'Farrell, C. L. , D. G. Elliott, M. S. Strom, J. R. Winton, and M. Landholt. In vitro and in vivo
comparisons of virulent and attenuated Renibacterium salmoninarum strains. European
Association of Fish Pathology, 9th International Conference, Sept. 1999.
Rathbone, C. K., L. W. Harrell, M. E. Peterson, F. T. Poysky, and M. S. Strom. Preliminary Observations on the
Efficacy of Azithromycin for Chemotherapy of Bacterial Kidney Disease. Western Fish Disease
Workshop, Fish Health Section/American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Twin Falls, Idaho, June 9-11, 1999.
Strom, M. S., C. L. O'Farrell, and L. D. Rhodes. Virulence studies on the salmonid pathogen Renibacterium salmoninarum, the cause of bacterial kidney disease. Abstract for the "Bacterial Diseases in Aquaculture" symposium, Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting, September 27-October 3, 1998
Rhodes, L. D. and M. S. Strom. 1998. Identification and characterization of a transposable element in the fish pathogen, Renibacterium salmoninarum. Abstract, 3rd International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health (August 30-September 3, 1998, Baltimore, MD)
Nilsson, W. B., P. J. Noonan, and M. S. Strom. 1998. Rapid identification of fish pathogens using RFLP analysis of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA. Abstract, 3rd International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health (August 30-September 3, 1998, Baltimore, MD)
Rhodes, L. D. and M. S. Strom. 1998. Identification of an ABC transporter homologue and an IS986/IS6110-like transposase in the salmon pathogen, Renibacterium salmoninarum. Abstract, 98th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (May 17-21, 1998, Atlanta, GA)
O'Farrell, C. L., D. Elliott, and M. S. Strom. 1997. Molecular cloning, characterization, and
sequence analysis of the duplicated msa gene in Renibacterium salmoninarum. Abstract,
American Fisheries Society, Fish Health Section Annual Meeting, Juneau, Alaska,
September 4-6, 1997.
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