Defining the ecological and immunological roles of sea lice in the propagation and development of pathogens among farmed salmonids in British Columbia

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Considerable debate discusses the interactions of sea lice and wild and farmed salmon in British Columbia. Within this debate, the role of ectoparasitic sea lice in disease propagation (as a vector) or progression (impacts on the host's immunology) has not been described. Many models examine vector-pathogen relationships (e.g., pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes or ticks). However, these models focus on humans or agriculture animals and none exist for a marine ecosystem using fish. Few reports have isolated viral and bacterial pathogens from sea lice, but pathogen transmission has never been tested; thus, the role of sea lice as a vector remains undefined. In other words, when (seasonally) and where (geographically), could sea lice carry important pathogens of salmon? Such information is critical to the salmon farming industry. In a pilot study in British Columbia, Canada, we repeatedly isolated three pathogenic bacterial species from sea lice and their farmed