Examining the Presence of Sarcocystis neurona in Marine Invertebrates
By: Erika Ono-Kerns
Department: Ecology
Faculty Advisor: Dr. C. Sarah Cohen
This study will assess mussels collected in Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay. Marine mammals suffer from a protozoal parasite, Sarcocystis neurona, whose host is a terrestrial mammal, the Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana). Food contamination brought on by freshwater runoff is the leading hypothesis in transmission. Mussels are a common filter feeder that is prey to Southern Sea Otters. Mussels collected from three sites will be dissected, and extractions, PCR, and sequencing will be carried out. S. neurona was previously found in the haemolymph of mussels, but further testing of tissue was warranted. I plan to compare my results to marine mammal stranding data to see if there is a potential correlation.