Simon Wadsworth

UiNord · Aquaculture

Caligus rogercresseyi, a marine ectoparasite, causes notable economic losses for the Chilean salmonid industry. Nevertheless, the immunological responses of infected fish remain poorly understood, including proinflammatory cytokine generation and the respective modulatory effects of various cytokine receptors. This study evaluated mRNA expression o...

The aquaculture industry has many problems associated with bacteria, viruses, and parasites, and the stress caused by these infections can modulate the physiological response in fish. In Chile, the sea lice Caligus rogercresseyi constitutes a major problem affecting the Chilean salmonid industry, having a strong negative effect on salmon production...

Piscirickettsiosis caused by Piscirickettsia salmonis constitutes one of the main problems in farmed salmonid and marine fishes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the modulation of genes involved in the oxidative stress in the liver and muscle of Salmo salar challenge with low dosage of P. salmonis. The treatment (in duplicate) were as fo...

The avermectins, emamectin benzoate (EMB) and ivermectin (IVM) have been commonly used in North America over the last two decades to control the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, infections in farmed Atlantic salmon. Emamectin benzoate, trade name SLICE ™ was used heavily in the Eastern Canadian industry between the years 2000–2008, due to its...

Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) are important ectoparasites of wild and farmed salmonids and cause major losses to the salmon farming industry throughout the Northern Hemisphere. With the emergence of resistance to several commonly used parasiticides, novel control strategies and integration of multiple treatment options are needed, including...

Although Caligus rogercresseyi negatively impacts Chilean salmon farming, the metabolic effects of infection by this sea louse have never been completely characterized. Therefore, this study analyzed lactate responses in the plasma, as well as the liver/muscle lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and gene expression, in Salmo salar and Oncorhynchus...

Abstract Background Reduction of Lepeophtheirus salmonis infection in Atlantic salmon achieved by glucosinolates (GLs) from Brassica plants was recently reported. However, wider application of functional feeds based on GLs requires better knowledge of their positive and adverse effects. Methods Liver, distal kidney and muscle transcriptomes of...

The sea lice Caligus rogercresseyi constitute a major problem affecting the Chilean salmonids industry, having a strong negative effect over the production of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and Rainbow trout (Oncorynchus mykiss). Caligidosis has been described affecting Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout more than Coho salmon (Onchorynchus kisutch).T...

In Chile, the salmon louse (Caligus rogercresseyi) is the main copepod ectoparasite that causes economic losses for the farmed salmon industry. Recent chemical studies have suggested the presence of molecules possibly involved in the host recognition during this parasite-host interaction. Furthermore, several genomic and phylogenetics studies have...

The potential for developing botanically derived natural products as novel feed-through repellents for disrupting settlement of the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Caligidae) upon farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, was investigated using an established laboratory vertical Y-tube behavioural bioassay for assessing copepodid behaviour. Respo...

The discovery of key molecules involved in host-recognition has the potential to develop novel tools against the most prevalent pathogens in aquaculture. However, how mucosal surface compounds of teleost fish can modulate the attraction mechanisms of ectoparasites remains unknown. This study evaluated the effect of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) hig...

Background The use of phytochemicals is a promising solution in biological control against salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). Glucosinolates belong to a diverse group of compounds used as protection against herbivores by plants in the family Brassicaceae, while in vertebrates, ingested glucosinolates exert health-promoting effects due to their...

It is well known that healthy gut microbiota is essential to promote host health and well-being. The intestinal microbiota of endothermic animals as well as fish are classified as autochthonous or indigenous, when they are able to colonize the host's epithelial surface or are associated with the microvilli, or as allochthonous or transient (associa...

One of the most significant threats to the Chilean salmon aquaculture industry is the ectoparasitic sea louse Caligus rogercresseyi. To cope with sea lice infestations, functional diets have become an important component in strengthening the host immune response. The aim of this study was to evaluate molecular mechanisms activated through immunosti...

The present study addressed the adherence of Carnobacterium divergens and Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida to the intestinal lining of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) using an ex vivo method–intestinal sacfollowing feeding with pea protein concentrate, extracted sunflower or feather meal at 200 g/kg inclusion level. Control diet was a 450...

The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of alginate-encapsulated infectious pancreatic necrosis virus antigens in inducing the immune response of Atlantic salmon as booster vaccines. One year after intraperitoneal injection with an oil-adjuvanted vaccine, post-smolts were orally boosted either by 1) alginate-encapsulated IPNV an...

Although various elements of the olfactory system have been elucidated in insects, it remains practically unstudied in crustaceans at a molecular level. Among crustaceans, some species are classified as ectoparasites that impact the finfish aquaculture industry. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify and comprehend the signaling pathways used by...

The present study has addressed the issue of dietary alterations on gut microbiota in fish by investigating modulation of the allochthonous and autochthonous bacterial gut community of Atlantic salmon following feeding with pea protein concentrate, soy protein concentrate, extracted sunflower, poultry by‐product and feather meal. The results reveal...

Suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) family members are crucial in the control and attenuation of cytokine induced responses via activation of the JAK/STAT, TLR and NF-kB signalling pathways. SOCS proteins orchestrate the termination of many types of immune responses and are often the targets of microbial pathogens exploiting SOCS mechanisms to...

Background Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS) is a severe cardiac disease of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) recently associated with a double-stranded RNA virus, Piscine Myocarditis Virus (PMCV). The disease has been diagnosed in 75-85 farms in Norway each year over the last decade resulting in annual economic losses estimated at up to €9 million. Recent...

The sea louse Caligus rogercresseyi is the most serious ectoparasite on farmed salmonids in Chile, mainly affecting Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In 2007 the highest infestation ever recorded for this sea louse struck the aquaculture industry. In the same year a serious epizootic due to the Infectious Sal...

Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI) is an emerging viral disease caused by a novel Atlantic salmon reovirus (ASRV) affecting farmed fish. Primary symptoms associated with HSMI include myocardial and skeletal muscle necrosis indicating a severe inflammatory process. Recently, we applied the concept of clinical nutrition to moderate the lon...

The relationship between lipid and digestible energy content of the feed and growth performance has been exploited with great effect in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The precise metabolic consequences of so-called “high-energy” feeds have not been fully defined, but increased and altered tissue lipid deposition patterns impacting on carcass and pr...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) peptidoglycan (PG) enriched diets on antimicrobial peptide (AMP) gene expression. Fish were divided into 5 groups and fed diets containing 0, 5, 10, 50 and 100 mg PG/Kg, and sampled 1, 7 and 14 days later. The expression of eight AMP genes (four defen...

Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI), recently associated with a novel Atlantic salmon reovirus (ASRV), is currently one of the most prevalent inflammatory diseases in commercial Atlantic salmon farms in Norway. Mortality varies from low to 20%, but morbidity can be very high, reducing growth performance and causing considerable financial...

Normalized gene expression levels in heart for different gene groups. The genes listed in Tables 4–9 are included in figures A–F, showing the average gene expression levels (as whiskers), with maximum and minimum range for each gene group. Outliers are depicted as black dots. A) Viral infection-related genes; B) Innate immune system-related genes;...

Complete list of the down-regulated genes at 12wpc on the group of fish fed with the ST diet and 16wpc on the group of fish fed with the FF2 diet from cluster groups (identified by SOM). (XLSX)

Complete list of the down-regulated genes at 12wpc on the group of fish fed with the ST diet and 16wpc on the group of fish fed with the FF2 diet from cluster groups (identified by SOM). (XLSX)

Criteria used to score the histological changes in the heart (epicard, ventricle and atrium). (DOCX)

Primers used for RT-qPCR analyses. (DOCX)

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) binding to the TGF-β type I (TGFBR1) and type II (TGFBR2) receptors delivers a plethora of cell-type specific effects. Moreover, the responses to TGF-β are tuned by regulatory mechanisms at the receptor level itself. To further elucidate TGF-β family signal transduction in teleosts, we therefore cloned the first...

A method for masking the odor of isophorone in water is described Also described is a method for reducing the attraction between an parasite and a fish. The invention also relates to fish feed compositions, and the use of a compound or extract for the prevention and/or treatment of a parasite infection in fish.

Currently there are numerous gaps in existing knowledge about exogenous nucleotide application to fish including various aspects of digestion, absorption, metabolism, and influences on various physiological responses, especially expression of immunogenes and modulation of immunoglobulin production. Additional information is also needed in regard to...

The intracellular suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family members, including CISH and SOCS1 to 7 in mammals, are important regulators of cytokine signaling pathways. So far, the orthologues of all the eight mammalian SOCS members have been identified in fish, with several of them having multiple copies. Whilst fish CISH, SOCS3, and SOCS5 pa...

Vegetable oils, typically high in n − 6 fatty acids, are necessary alternatives in fish feed production. Such oils have been tested in salmonid diets with good growth results, but with major changes in lipid composition. The aim of this study was to provide information regarding the effect of the higher dietary n − 6/n − 3 fatty acid ratio caused b...

An initial bioinformatics investigation followed by cloning and sequencing analysis, has led to the identification of three novel members (omDB-2, omDB-3, omBD-4) of the beta-defensin family in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The contiguous sequences could be translated to give predicted peptides of 62 (omDB-2), 63 (omDB-3) and 68 (omDB-4) ami...

Use of a feed composition comprising conventional feed ingredients such as protein, lipid, ash, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, pigments, with a specific ration of protein to lipid is disclosed. The feed composition can be used for enhancing the fish welfare, viability or faster recovery, and/or for the prevention, alleviation and/or treatment o...

Gene expression of a number of cytokines in the intestine of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was investigated after challenge with a pathogenic strain of Aeromonas salmonicida. Fish were exposed to A. salmonicida by immersion in a bacterial suspension (bath challenge) and tissue samples of the distal and proximal intestine were collected at day...

A Scottish isolate of Piscirickettsia salmonis (SCO-95A), previously shown by intraperitoneal injection to have a lethal dose (LD50) of < 2 x 10(3) infectious rickettsial units, was tested for virulence by bath challenge, surface application to the skin, or dorsal median sinus injection. Atlantic salmon Salmo salar post-smolts were used in all expe...

Although the gills have been reported as a site for settlement by sea lice attached stages in experimental challenges, the prevalence and abundance of infection on gills have not been reported in farmed fish and have been reported only rarely in wild salmonids. Disproportionate attachment to the gills may be significant in evaluation of new therape...

Although the gills have been reported as a site for settlement by sea lice attached stages in experimental challenges, the prevalence and abundance of infection on gills have not been reported in farmed fish and have been reported only rarely in wild salmonids. Disproportionate attachment to the gills may be significant in evaluation of new therape...

Piscirickettsia salmonis was grown in established insect, frog, and fish tissue culture cells. The yield of P. salmonis in Sf21 cells was up to 100 times that obtained in CHSE-214 cells, and virulence for Atlantic salmon was retained. The ceiling temperature for growth of P. salmonis in Sf21 cells was 24°C.

Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) fed a control or nucleotide-supplemented diet for 15 weeks were examined for the relative expression of a number of immune genes. Genes analysed included those involved in specific immune responses, such as immunoglobulin M (IgM) and recombinase activating gene 1 (RAG-1), and a number of genes important for nonspecific...

Trials were carried out in Atlantic salmon to determine the effects on vaccine efficacy, vaccination and salt water transfer stress, growth performance and intestinal morphology of the inclusion in salmon diets of supplemental nucleotides. When added to normal salmon feeds at a combined inclusion level of 0.03%, these additional nucleotides were sh...

Hydrogen peroxide has been the only medicine used to treat salmon infected with sea lice [Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer)] on many farms in Scotland since 1992 and reports have suggested reduced treatment efficacy. The present study tests the sensitivity of sea lice to exposure to hydrogen peroxide under farm conditions and also in vivo by compari...

Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus are the two common species of sealice responsible for serious disease problems in salmonid aquaculture. L. salmonis in particular is the most serious parasitic infection on Atlantic salmon farms in the Northern Hemisphere and is the best-known species. This review examines the voluminous literature on t...

Thesis (Ph.D.)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Aberdeen, 1998.

Injection of extracts derived from adult caligid copepods induced a partial immunity to Lepeophtheirus salmonis in Atlantic salmon. Antigens were derived from the supernatant of adult lice extracts and were partially purified by Con A affinity chromatography. The antigens were also present in the pellet derived from adult lice extracts, Immunohisto...