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Abstract
The goal of the proposed study was to determine if zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae are susceptible to a suspected neurotoxin produced by Aetokothonos hydrillicola and associated with Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM) disease and commonly associated with the invasive aquatic macrophyte, hydrilla. I sought to develop a reliable, high throughput, bioassay to evaluate the relative neurotoxicity for extracts from hydrilla samples. Additionally, the effects of A. hydrillicola toxin extracts on larval zebrafish brain activity were investigated. Larval zebrafish results were similar to those reported for existing invertebrate and avian A. hydrillicola toxin bioassays across all samples tested including degree of toxicity. With the long-term goal of being able to elucidate the mechanism of action of this novel neurotoxin, larval zebrafish appear to be an ideal organism to detect A. hydrillicola neurotoxicity associated with AVM.