Institute for Fish and Wildlife Health

Research

We conduct research on the health of wild and farmed fish and crustaceans as well as wildlife, improve epidemiological and diagnostic approaches with eDNA and method development, and investigate long-term effects of stress and disease in projects on epigenetics and evolution in zebrafish.

Publications

Recent publications

Hot of the press

How fit is Swiss wildlife health monitoring? We're doing ok - but there are a few "blind spots" due to a lack of centralized, up-to-date data collection.

Novel viruses discovered in wild noble crayfish

Metagenomic analysis of seven wild noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) populations revealed the presence of 11 novel RNA viruses in this endangered species.

Optimal detection protocol of Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae by environmental DNA

We developed a cost-effective, straightforward, and highly sensitive laboratory analysis workflow to detect Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, causing Proliferative Kidney Disease (PKD) in salmonid fish, from water samples by environmental DNA (eDNA).

Frog mass mortality at Mägisalp (BE)

Nearly 5'000 free-ranging common frogs were found dead with multisystemic emphysema in a retention pond; a physical phenomenon is suspected.

Ameoba in Swiss aquaculture

Nodular gill disease is associated with amoeba infection in farmed rainbow trout

Epigenetics and evolution

A FIWI study suggests that environmentally induced epigenetic variance may precede genetic diversification in wild stickleback populations.

New perch virus discovered

Description of a novel virus, Lötschberg virus (LTBV), from a European perch metatranscriptome. LTBV represents a tentative new species and genus of the mononegaviral family Filoviridae.

Book: Non-infectious diseases of coldwater fish

In chapter 4, FIWI members describe the causes of non-infectious diseases in coldwater finfish, like production problems, environmental problems, nutritional and feed-related problems, vaccination- and treatment-related problems, neoplasia and deformations.

Toxoplasma gondii

Eurasian lynx can act as an intermediate and final host of T. gondii.

Sarcoptic mange

Sarcoptes mites genetic variation is biogeographically determined.

Aquaculture microbiomes

Microbial communities in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are key to system success. Choosing the right method to analyse their composition is important to understand their dynamics.

Long-term storage of dried qPCR mixes

In situations where electricity or fridge capacity is limited, dried reconstitutable qPCR mixes with long shelf life might present valuable alternatives.

Further spread of perch rhabdovirus (PRV) in European aquaculture

New Viruses in perch aquaculture

Novel Filoviruses, Hantavirus, and Rhabdovirus were detected in freshwater perch aquaculture in Switzerland

Human impacts on Proliferative Kidney Disaese – a review

Removal of barriers led to fish migration for spawning but not to dispersion of PKD

In a study over six years after barrier removal no dispersion of the disease was recorded, despite migration of trout for spawning and presence of suitable hosts.

Epigenetic inheritance

What do we mean when we talk about "non-genetic" information transfer between generations? Follow a lively conversation about the true nature of alternative inheritance pathways in TREE.

Antimicrobial resistance in farmed and pet fish bacterial isolates

Antibiotic resistance and multiresistances are important issues in farmed as well as in pet fish. Release of untreated outflow water into the environment may be a risk factor for resistance development.

Idiopathic muscle disease

An idiopathic muscle disease was found in fillet of farmed burbot

Mysterious mortality in Thur brown trout

Main lesions are lympphohistiocytic pancarditis and necrotising hepatitis. Infectious cause could be excluded by viral and bacterial metagenomics

Invasive fish prey on Common Nase eggs

New molecular tests show that invasive fish eat the eggs of protected native fish, such as the common nose. This might have long-term negative impacts on fish conservation, which entail major investments to improving reproduction.

Species Differences PKD

Different salmonid species and lineages show different susceptibility towards T. bryosalmonae infection

Goosander PKD

Goosander can be excluded as transport host for T. bryosalmonae

Round Goby Genome

Innate immune genes are expanded in the round goby. Also, they see two types of red and display red fluorescence.

Immunomodulation by EE2

Chronic exposure to low ethinylestradiol (EE2) concentrations disrupts the reproductive and the immune system of juvenile rainbow trout

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