DV-08-004 Identifying biomarkers for detecting disease in Eastern Oysters

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono.

Emergency services responded promptly to the scene and the student has been transported to a local hospital. The student’s family has been informed.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 or you may call the Dean of Students Office at 207-581-1406.

An investigation is underway and more details will be released when they become available. Our thoughts are with the student and their family.

Long Road has been cleared and is now accessible. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lieutenant Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 8, 2018

Paul Rawson
University of Maine School of Marine Sciences
5706 Aubert Hall
Orono, ME 04469
207.581.4326
prawson@maine.edu

Disease organisms like MSX, Dermo, and Roseovarius can impede the production and marketing of cultured eastern oysters, yet testing for the presence of these harmful organisms is often expensive and extensive. The availability of more "portable" methods would make disease detection easier for individual growers in the field, and would allow for the study of environmental factors that may influence disease outbreaks. Rawson and chemist Touradj Solouki have proposed a method to identify biomarkers (e.g., physiological changes, chemical signatures) associated with infectious Roseovarius bacteria. Sensors could then be designed to detect the disease at oyster growing sites, preventing economic losses caused by contaminated shellfish.

1-year project, 2008
Total: $5,000