Evidence for infection influencing survival of the freshwater copepod Salmincola californiensis, a parasite of Pacific salmon and trout.

Abstract

We explore apparent infection of Salmincola californiensis arising during investigations involving this lernaeopodid copepod parasitic on Pacific salmon and trout Oncorhynchus spp. We noted occasional unusual coloration of adult female copepods collected from the wild. These females were bright blue and pink in contrast to the cream white coloration characteristic of the copepod. We also observed that similar color patterns developed under laboratory settings when copepod eggs were held for hatching. In paired egg cases, we found consistent hatching failure of blue and pink eggs and patterns in apparent disease development that would be consistent with both vertical and horizontal transmission. Attempts to identify the cause of the apparent infection using genetic methods and transmission electron microscopy were inconclusive. Iridovirus infection was initially suspected, but bacterial infection is also plausible. This apparent reduced hatching success of S. californiensis warrants further exploration as it could reduce local abundances. Given the potential importance of a disease impacting this copepod, a parasite that itself affects endangered and commercially important Pacific salmon and trout, future research would benefit from clarification of the apparent infection through additional sequencing, primer development, visualization, and exploration into specificity and transmission.