Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan in a lab at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) team members are usually laboratory-bound, conducting diagnostic tests and reporting those results all within the confines of CVM facilities. But one of our diagnosticians is not restricted to the laboratory and is able to work in the field examining a select group of animals, diagnosing and treating their diseases, and offering advice to their caretakers.
Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan, Oregon Sea Grant Extension Veterinarian and faculty member of the College of Veterinary Medicine, is the Section Head of the VDL Aquatic Diagnostic Service. Dr. Miller-Morgan, the first CVM faculty to be permanently based at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Ore., focuses his attention on the health issues of aquatic animals. His patients include fish and invertebrates from the ornamental fish industries, public and private aquariums, and university research facilities.
Dr. Miller-Morgan’s visits to fish holding, production, and display facilities include health assessments of the animals as well as review of facility management and biosecurity programs. Clinical examinations and basic field diagnostics (gill and fin clip preparations, skin scrapes, necropsy) are conducted as needed, and tissue and blood samples are collected for additional diagnostic work-up at the VDL. Recommendations for treatment and disease prevention are provided as well. In the face of disease outbreaks, moribund animals are delivered directly to the VDL for necropsy and further diagnostic workup.
Dr. Miller-Morgan’s services are a major component of the Aquatic Animal Health Program created by Oregon Sea Grant and the CVM. The program was originally implemented to address the needs of the ornamental fish industry through outreach and services to hobbyists, retailers and wholesalers, and to provide training in pet fish medicine for the veterinary community in Oregon and the greater Pacific Northwest. The need for quality, scientifically based outreach in fish health management and veterinary services was much greater than anticipated and the program has grown significantly. The program is currently involved in local, national and international cooperative initiatives and has partnered with hobbyist organizations, corporate entities, extension programs in Arkansas and Florida, and the Aquarium Science Program at Oregon Coast Community College. The goals for the program are to improve the overall quality of aquatic animal health management throughout the industry and improve access to veterinary care.
Dr. Miller-Morgan also provides a wide variety of continuing education opportunities for practicing veterinarians, fish wholesalers and retailers, and aquarium hobbyists, as well as training opportunities for veterinary students from the CVM.
In addition to Dr. Miller-Morgan’s services, the VDL has recently added two new tests for fish diseases. Koi herpes virus (KHV) is a cause of significant mortality in the koi industry. It is considered a “reportable” disease. In response to a need by both producers and hobbyists for a rapid and reliable means to verify infection by the virus, the VDL recently began offering a PCR-based diagnostic test for KHV. Samples from deceased, suspect fish can be rapidly analyzed for the presence of KHV genetic material, verifying infection and providing the hobbyist a basis for control measures.
The other new test is a diagnostic PCR for Pseudoloma neurophilia, a microsporidean parasite that infects the central nervous system of zebrafish. Zebrafish have become an extremely important laboratory animal for biomedical research. As P. neurophila infection causes significant health problems in infected fish, there is potential for interference with experiments and research data in addition to the concern for the optimal health of the animals. The VDL now offers a PCR test for P. neurophila. Research laboratories are now able to screen zebrafish colonies for this infection and work towards elimination of the parasite from their facilities.
Aquatic animal health is now widely recognized as a viable and important component of veterinary practice, and I expect aquatic animal diagnostics at the VDL to be a growing segment of our services. If you need help with a fish disease problem, or have questions related to our aquatic animal diagnostic services, do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.
Dr. Jerry Heidel, Director, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
