METAGENOMIC NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING REVEALS MIAMIENSIS AVIDUS (CILIOPHORA: SCUTICOCILIATIDA) IN THE 2017 EPIZOOTIC OF LEOPARD SHARKS (TRIAKIS SEMIFASCIATA) IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY, CALIFORNIA, USA

• DOI: 10.7589/2018-04-097
• Publication Date: 2018-10-05T15:24:41Z
• Authors: Hanna Retallack; Mark S. Okihiro; Elliot Britton; Sean Van Sommeran; Joseph L. DeRisi
• Keywords: Epizootic; Leopard

During March to August of 2017, hundreds leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) stranded and died on the shores San Francisco Bay, California, US. Similar mass stranding events occurred in 1967 2011, but analysis those epizootics was incomplete, no etiology confirmed. Our investigation 2017 epizootic revealed severe meningoencephalitis sharks, raising suspicion for infection. We pursued a strategy unbiased pathogen detection using metagenomic next-generation sequencing followed by orthogonal validation further screening. showed that ciliated protozoan pathogen, Miamiensis avidus, present central nervous system (n=12) other shark species (n=2) Bay absent caught elsewhere. This has been implicated devastating outbreaks teleost marine fish not wild elasmobranchs. results highlight benefits adopting study wildlife health disease.