Infectious diseases know no boundaries, and though we often think of them as affecting animals and plants on land, they also infect organisms living in lakes, rivers and oceans.

The Aquatic Pathobiology Laboratory, operated by the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida, offers investigators lab space to research infectious diseases affecting fresh and saltwater organisms.

Longspined sea urchins are vital to the biodiversity of cloral reef because they feed on algae and curb overgrowth. EPI member Donald Behringer collaborated with colleagues at UF, Cornell University, University of South Florida and others to investigate why longspines sea urchins began to die off in early 2022.

The culprit? A microspcopic parasite that infected the sea urchin spines and ate them alive. Want to learn more about this research and others stemming from the EPI Aquatic Pathobiology Lab? Visit our website to read the story, "UF researchers fight infectious diseases in the EPI Aquatic Pathobiology Lab": https://epi.ufl.edu/2023/08/01/ufres....

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