Tracing the origin of the crayfish plague pathogen, Aphanomyces astaci, to the Southeastern United States

Laura Martín-Torrijos; María Martínez-Ríos; Gloria Casabella-Herrero; Susan B. Adams; Colin R. Jackson; Javier Diéguez-Uribeondo

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88704-8

Treesearch

Tracing the origin of the crayfish plague pathogen, Aphanomyces astaci, to the Southeastern United States

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Laura Martín-Torrijos, María Martínez-Ríos, Gloria Casabella-Herrero, Susan B. Adams, Colin R. Jackson, Javier Diéguez-Uribeondo

Year:

2021

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Southern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88704-8

Source:

Scientific Reports

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Download (PDF 5.78 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/62439.pdf

Abstract

The oomycete Aphanomyces astaci is an emerging infectious pathogen affecting freshwater crayfishworldwide and is responsible for one of the most severe wildlife pandemics ever reported. Thepathogen has caused mass mortalities of freshwater crayfish species in Europe and Asia, and threatensother susceptible species in Madagascar, Oceania and South America. The pathogen naturally coexistswith some North American crayfish species that are its chronic carriers. Presumptions that A. astacioriginated in North America are based on disease outbreaks that followed translocations of NorthAmerican crayfish and on the identification of the pathogen mainly in Europe. We studied A. astaci inthe southeastern US, a center of freshwater crayfish diversity. In order to decipher the origin of thepathogen, we investigated (1) the distribution and haplotype diversity of A. astaci, and (2) whetherthere are crayfish species-specificities and/or geographical restrictions for A. astaci haplotypes.A total of 132 individuals, corresponding to 19 crayfish species and one shrimp species from 23locations, tested positive for A. astaci. Mitochondrial rnnS and rnnL sequences indicated that A. astacifrom the southeastern US exhibited the highest genetic diversity so far described for the pathogen(eight haplotypes, six of which we newly describe). Our findings that A. astaci is widely distributedand genetically diverse in the region supports the hypothesis that the pathogen originated in thesoutheastern US. In contrast to previous assumptions, however, the pathogen exhibited no clearspecies-specificity or geographical patterns.

Keywords

crayfish, disease, pathogens, oomycetes, Aphanomyces astaci, crayfish plague, USA

Citation

Martín-Torrijos, Laura; Martínez-Ríos, María; Casabella-Herrero, Gloria; Adams, Susan B.; Jackson, Colin R.; Diéguez-Uribeondo, Javier. 2021. Tracing the origin of the crayfish plague pathogen, Aphanomyces astaci, to the Southeastern United States. Scientific Reports. 11(1): 186-. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88704-8.