ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9589-5641

Date Awarded

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Advisor

Andrew R Wargo

Committee Member

Kimberly S Reece

Committee Member

Ryan B Carnegie

Committee Member

Jan R McDowell

Committee Member

Gael Kurath

Abstract

In recent years, significant progress has been made toward understanding the complex interplay of viral traits that comprise overall viral fitness. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, special attention has been paid to phenotypes correlated to viral genetics. Emergence of new pathogens and their genetic strains is frequently marked by changes in virulence, or morbidity and mortality inflicted upon the host organism. Virulence is theorized to be a possible fitness benefit to the pathogen if it positively correlates with transmission via pathogen shedding, but the consistency and strength of this relationship are unknown. Gaining a holistic understanding of fitness and its relationships with quantifiable viral traits is critical to the field of epidemiology as emergent pathogens and zoonoses are documented at increasingly rapid rates across the globe. Due to the globally expanding aquaculture sector, which includes aquatic plants, invertebrates, and finfishes destined for human consumption, understanding the possible drivers of viral virulence and shedding is critical to mitigate disease risk and subsequent damage in managed populations. Few empirical studies of emergent aquatic pathogens exist, underscoring the urgent need for data in this discipline. Existing studies are frequently limited in the genetic resources needed to determine whether virulence and transmission phenotypes are traits upon which natural selection acts. This dissertation uses infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus and salmonid hosts to investigate how virulence has evolved since emergence in a novel host species (Chapter 1); how shedding phenotypes have evolved in the novel host (Chapter 2); whether virulence and shedding relationships with time are consistent across viral genetic subgroups (Chapter 3); and if shedding fitness translates to transmission fitness (Chapter 4).

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.25773/v5-brfj-he26

Rights

© The Author

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