Overview
My broad research interest is microbial ecology in the context of aquatic environments and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. By applying a range of traditional biological, genomic and bioinformatic approaches it is possible to study the collective interactions between microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and protists.
During my undergraduate degree I worked as a researcher for a year at Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) to investigate the health of wild ballan wrasse that are used as cleaner fish in the Atlantic salmon farming industry. This research captured my interest in the field of aquaculture, leading me to pursue a PhD in Prof. Charles Tyler’s group in collaboration with Cefas and WorldFish, where I study the impact of antibiotics on microbiomes in aquaculture.
Qualifications
2015 – 2019 BSc Biomedical Science with Industrial Placement, University of Bath
Research group links
Research
Research projects
Project Title: Antibiotic exposure impacts on skin microbiomes and disease resilience in fish in aquaculture
Supervisors: Professor Charles Tyler, Dr Ben Temperton, Dr David Bass (Cefas) and Dr Jérôme Delamare-Deboutteville (WorldFish)
Funding Body: BBSRC SWBio DTP
Project Description: Intensification of farming practices in aquaculture tends to incur increases in disease incidence, with antibiotics often misused to combat disease. Antibiotics can also contaminate ponds via manure fertilisers and water sources, collectively allowing persistence of antibiotics in the environment at low concentrations. While there has been considerable focus on the potential impact of antibiotics in relation to AMR and human health, there is very little understanding on how antibiotic usage might affect microbiomes in aquaculture systems - the microbial communities of bacteria, viruses, fungi and protists - to in turn affect the health of the cultured organisms.
My PhD studentship will investigate the antibiotic mediated disruption to composition and function of microbial communities associated with the fish skin mucosal surface, and how this may influence susceptibility to disease. This research will focus on the aquaculture production of tilapia in Bangladesh through a range of field studies and finely controlled laboratory exposures.
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Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
McMurtrie J, Alathari S, Chaput DL, Bass D, Ghambi C, Nagoli J, Delamare-Deboutteville J, Mohan CV, Cable J, Temperton B, et al (2022). Relationships between pond water and tilapia skin microbiomes in aquaculture ponds in Malawi. Aquaculture, 558, 738367-738367.
McMurtrie J, Verner-Jeffreys DW, Cochrane-Dyet T, White P, van Aerle R, Ryder D, Stone D, Green M, Feist SW, Cano I, et al (2019). Health assessment of the cleaner fish ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta from the British south-west coast.
Dis Aquat Organ,
136(2), 133-146.
Abstract:
Health assessment of the cleaner fish ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta from the British south-west coast.
Wild-caught ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta are translocated en masse from the British south-west coast to Scotland for use as cleaner fish to tackle Atlantic salmon Salmo salar sea lice infestations; however, very little is known about the background health status of this species. This is the first health assessment of wild ballan wrasse from the British south-west. Wild-caught ballan wrasse (n = 75) from coastal populations off Dorset and Cornwall were subjected to a full health screen for viral, bacterial and parasitic infections and associated pathology. A range of metazoan and protozoan parasites were observed in histological sections, including copepods (sea lice Caligus centrodonti), nematodes, cestodes, digenean metacercariae, Cryptocaryon-like ciliates and an intestinal coccidian (Eimeria sp.) observed in 26.6% of the samples. The mycoplasma Acholeplasma laidlawii was associated with cytopathic effect in cell culture inoculated with tissue homogenates. The opportunistic pathogen Photobacterium damselae damselae was isolated from a single fish with a systemic infection. The isolate was confirmed to possess the virulence factors hlyAch and plpV, previously associated with cell toxicity and pathogenicity to fish. There are no immediate concerns for the continued mass translation of ballan wrasse, however careful monitoring of the population is recommended.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Publications by year
2022
McMurtrie J, Alathari S, Chaput DL, Bass D, Ghambi C, Nagoli J, Delamare-Deboutteville J, Mohan CV, Cable J, Temperton B, et al (2022). Relationships between pond water and tilapia skin microbiomes in aquaculture ponds in Malawi. Aquaculture, 558, 738367-738367.
2021
McMurtrie J, Alathari S, Chaput DL, Bass D, Ghambi C, Nagoli J, Delamare-Deboutteville J, Mohan CV, Cable J, Temperton B, et al (2021). Relationships between pond water and tilapia skin microbiomes in aquaculture ponds in Malawi.
2019
McMurtrie J, Verner-Jeffreys DW, Cochrane-Dyet T, White P, van Aerle R, Ryder D, Stone D, Green M, Feist SW, Cano I, et al (2019). Health assessment of the cleaner fish ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta from the British south-west coast.
Dis Aquat Organ,
136(2), 133-146.
Abstract:
Health assessment of the cleaner fish ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta from the British south-west coast.
Wild-caught ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta are translocated en masse from the British south-west coast to Scotland for use as cleaner fish to tackle Atlantic salmon Salmo salar sea lice infestations; however, very little is known about the background health status of this species. This is the first health assessment of wild ballan wrasse from the British south-west. Wild-caught ballan wrasse (n = 75) from coastal populations off Dorset and Cornwall were subjected to a full health screen for viral, bacterial and parasitic infections and associated pathology. A range of metazoan and protozoan parasites were observed in histological sections, including copepods (sea lice Caligus centrodonti), nematodes, cestodes, digenean metacercariae, Cryptocaryon-like ciliates and an intestinal coccidian (Eimeria sp.) observed in 26.6% of the samples. The mycoplasma Acholeplasma laidlawii was associated with cytopathic effect in cell culture inoculated with tissue homogenates. The opportunistic pathogen Photobacterium damselae damselae was isolated from a single fish with a systemic infection. The isolate was confirmed to possess the virulence factors hlyAch and plpV, previously associated with cell toxicity and pathogenicity to fish. There are no immediate concerns for the continued mass translation of ballan wrasse, however careful monitoring of the population is recommended.
Abstract.
Author URL.
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