Item talk:Q47361

usgs_staff_profile:

 meta:
   status_code: 200
   timestamp: '2023-09-30T17:06:19.240816'
   url: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/gael-kurath
 profile:
   abstracts: []
   affiliations:
   - University of Washington, affiliate faculty in Pathobiology with graduate faculty
     status. 1994 to Present (full professor since 2017).
   - University of Washington, affiliate faculty in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries
     Sciences with graduate faculty status (2007 to Present).
   - International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, member of study groups Rhabdovirus
     family (1997 to Present), Paramyxovirus Family (2008 to present), and Mononegavirales
     Super-family (2008 to Present).
   - International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, member of study groups Rhabdovirus
     family (1997 to Present), Paramyxovirus Family (2008 to present), and Mononegavirales
     Super-family (2008 to Present).
   - 'Scientific Journal Editorial Board: Virology (1995-1998); Journal of Aquatic
     Animal Health (2002-2005); Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (2011-2015); Journal
     of General Virology (2011-2016).'
   - Ad hoc reviewer for numerous journals.
   - 'Grant review panel member or panel chair: USDA Biotechnology Risk Assessment
     (1996, 1997); USDA NRI Virology (1999, 2000); USDA-NIFA AFRI Diseases of Agricultural
     Animals program (2020).'
   - American Fisheries Society, Fish Health Section, member since 1994, nominating/balloting
     committee member 2002-2003; chair 2004.
   - American Fisheries Society, Fish Health Section, elected vice-president 2006,
     executive committee 2006-2010, president 2008.
   - American Society for Virology member since 1983.
   education:
   - Ph.D. 1985. Virology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
   - M.S. 1980. Marine Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
   - B.A. 1978. Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH
   email: gkurath@usgs.gov
   expertise_terms:
   - Virology
   - RNA Virus Evolution
   - Ecology and Evolution of infectious Disease
   - Aquatic Animal Health
   honors:
   - Special Achievement Award, American Fisheries, Society Fish Health Section,
     1999
   - U.S. Department of the Interior Star Awards, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2008
   - Snieszko Distinguished Service Award, Fish Health Section, American Fisheries
     Society, 2020
   intro_statements:
   - Viruses and infectious diseases are natural components of every ecosystem. In
     aquatic ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest infectious hematopoietic necrosis
     virus (IHNV) is a significant viral pathogen of many salmonid fish populations.
     Studies of IHNV molecular biology, pathogenesis, field ecology, and evolution
     contribute to understanding and management of viral disease in salmon and trout.
   name: Gael Kurath, Ph.D.
   name_qualifier: null
   orcid: 0000-0003-3294-560X
   organization_link: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/western-fisheries-research-center
   organization_name: Western Fisheries Research Center
   personal_statement: Research Interests:Our research involves viral diseases in
     finfish, with an emphasis on the rhabdovirus IHNV in Pacific salmon and trout
     of Pacific Northwest ecosystems. We conduct landscape-scale genetic typing of
     IHNV as it occurs across Western North America and use phylogenetic analyses
     and molecular epidemiology to identify patterns of virus occurrence, transmission,
     and disease impacts across large geographic regions, and over many years.  This
     has revealed divergence of IHNV into three major genetic groups (U, M, or L)
     with distinct host specificities and geographic ranges in North America. There
     is also clear evidence for viral host jumps, displacement events, and evolution
     of both specialist and generalist virus lineages. Potential drivers of these
     evolutionary events are tested in controlled wet laboratory challenge studies
     in salmonid fish, providing sound scientific data on the biological basis of
     patterns observed in the field. In a recent project we demonstrated evolution
     of increasing virulence as a driver of viral genotype displacements in steelhead
     trout of the Columbia River Basin and worked with collaborators to develop the
     first landscape-scale transmission model for IHNV.  We also explore the biological
     basis of specialist (adapted to single host species) and generalist (adapted
     to multiple host species) viruses, using naturally evolved subgroups of IHNV.
     This has potential to explain changes in virus types and disease impacts observed
     in the Columbia River Basin, and it also serves as a tractable research model
     for empirical testing of predictions of basic specialist-generalist theory for
     pathogens.  Finally, we collaborate with other researchers to investigate the
     evolution of IHNV virulence after a historical host jump from sockeye salmon
     to farmed rainbow trout using a historical panel of over 60 IHNV isolates collected
     over the last 50 years. Long-term interests include understanding drivers of
     viral evolution and ecology, host and virus factors that define virus transmission
     and transmission models, and how human activities can be modified to avoid unintended
     disease consequences.
   professional_experience:
   - 1992 to Present - Research Microbiologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries
     Research Center, Seattle, WA
   - 1989 - 1992 - Postdoctoral researcher, Plant Virology, University of California,
     Riverside, CA
   - 1985 - 1988 - Postdoctoral researcher, Plant Virology, Cornell University, Ithaca,
     NY
   title: Research Microbiologist