| dc.description.abstract | Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae is a myxozoan parasite that poses a threat to salmonid fish populations leading to development of the potential lethal Proliferative Kidney Disease (PKD). The presence and effects of T. bryosalmonae has been studied through many surveys in Europe and in Norway with traditional methods and eDNA analysis over the last decades.
Optimizing study design in eDNA analysis is important to reduce detection errors and optimize detection reliability in both sampling and analysis stages. The advantage of using eDNA in ecological studies is that it is a non-invasive method, compared to the invasive sampling and killing the host to detect a potential hidden parasite. The myxozoan parasite is primarily found in rivers and lakes inside their salmonid and bryozoan hosts, where the host morbidity is often exacerbated by climate change and warmer temperatures.
This master-thesis aim to investigate River Sandvikselva for the presence of T. bryosalmonae by eDNA analysis during the summer months 2023. Water sampling was done using a Peristaltic pump and an enclosed filter to sample 10 L of water. For DNA extraction a protocol for isolation of DNA from water-filter to eDNA analysis, and a modified Qiagen Blood and Tissue-kit was used. To detect T. bryosalmonae qPCR was used targeting the 18S rDNA.
T. bryosalmonae presence was detected in River Sandvikselva in station 1 and station 2, the two stations in the lower part of the watercourse. In station 1, four out of four samples tested positive in Juli and August, whilst in station 2 only one of four samples tested positive suggesting that T. bryosalmonae has been established in the lower part of River Sandvikselva. Additionally, the results highlight a low sensitivity that may have contributed to limiting the detection rate in the upper stations. | |
