Over the last decade, a parasitic disease, Heterosporosis, has spread to infect fish in at least 20 water bodies in Minnesota. The parasite infects a number of economically important fish, making them inedible. As the disease can currently only be detected in its late stages, little is known about how it is transmitted and how best to control it. Faculty from the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine are using this appropriation to assess mechanisms and control of Heterosporosis in order to develop a test for the disease, and this test will be used to survey lakes throughout the state to accurately determine the extent and severity of this disease in Minnesota waters.

For more information, visit http://www.lccmr.leg.mn/all_projects/2009_projects.html.

Project Details