Genetics of wild, whirling disease resistant rainbow trout populations in Colorado

Brian W. Avila; Eric R. Fetherman; Dana L. Winkelman; Melinda R. Baerwald

doi:10.3389/ffwsc.2025.1500903

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Genetics of wild, whirling disease resistant rainbow trout populations in Colorado

Brian W. Avila·Eric R. Fetherman·Dana L. Winkelman·Melinda R. Baerwald

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Abstract

Introduction: Myxobolus cerebralis , the parasite responsible for salmonid whirling disease, was unintentionally introduced to and became established in Colorado in the 1990s. Mortality of young-of-year fish due to infection by M. cerebralis resulted in recruitment failure and subsequent significant declines in Rainbow Trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) populations. The complex multistage lifecycle of M. cerebralis makes it difficult to eradicate and manage, and hatchery control strategies do not work in the wild. A viable method that has been utilized for wild populations is enhancing host resistance. Myxobolus cerebralis resistant Rainbow Trout were discovered at a hatchery in Germany and subsequently incorporated into Colorado's brood stock program. Since 2004, M. cerebralis resistant strains have been stocked into all major Colorado coldwater drainages to re-establish Rainbow Trout populations after whirling disease-related declines, with documented survival and reproduction of stocked disease resistant fish. Methods and results: Genetic population assignment tests (via putatively neutral microsatellite markers) were used to monitor the stocked populations and indicated that, after only a few years, many of the individuals in these populations unexpectedly assigned to genetic strains that were historically susceptible to M. cerebralis . To further investigate the genetic composition of these fish, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel was used to determine the percent genetic composition of resistant strain in these individuals. Microsatellites and SNPs provided similar results, indicating a low percentage of ancestry from the resistant strain in these fish, but they continued to survive exposure to M. cerebralis , suggesting that these individuals possessed genetic loci necessary for resistance. Finally, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) region (termed WDRES-9) was used to identify individuals with alleles associated with disease resistance. Implementation of the WDRES-9 QTL test allowed for more accurate determination of M. cerebralis resistant individuals within wild populations and better described their variability in resistance.

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Source-reported bounding extent: 40.0474778427253° to 40.10872906006077° latitude; -106.18116558688932° to -105.97093255037° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Brian W. Avila, Eric R. Fetherman, Dana L. Winkelman, Melinda R. Baerwald. 2025-03-03. Genetics of wild, whirling disease resistant rainbow trout populations in Colorado. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffwsc.2025.1500903

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