People

Education

Ph.D. 1984 Duke University
B.A. 1978 Rutgers University 

Research Interests

My broad research interests are on the interactions of shellfish pathogens with their hosts and the environment. I have studied the temporal and spatial distribution of parasites, the effect of climate change on this distribution, the impact of disease on growth, survival and reproduction in natural populations, resistance in natural and selected populations of bivalves, and the interactions between bivalve hemocytes and pathogens. I have also been involved in projects focusing on identifying etiological agents of disease outbreaks, on molecular characterization of parasites and hosts, on mathematical modeling of host-parasite interactions and methods to minimize the deleterious impacts of disease on commercially important shellfish.  

Current Research Projects

•Collaborative research: field and modeling studies in support of understanding disease resistance in estuarine populations and response to climate change. (National Science Foundation – Ecology of Infectious Diseases Program)

•Mapping dermo-resistance genes for marker-assisted selection in the eastern oyster. ( NOAA Sea Grant Oyster Disease Research Program )

•Analysis of molecular indicators of oyster's response to Dermo infection using microarray technology. ( National Sea Grant GOIP through Auburn University )

• Evaluation and Genetic Analysis of Hard Clam, Mercenaria mercenaria , Stocks for QPX Resistance. USDA Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center

• Investigations into the potential health and economic benefits of bivalve/finfish co-culture . USDA Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center

Selected Publications

Ford, S. E., B. Allam and Z. Xu (2009) Using bivalves as particle collectors and PCR detection to investigate the environmental distribution of Haplosporidium nelsoni., Dis. Aquatic Org. 83:159-168.

Ford, S., N. Stokes, E. Burreson, E. Scarpa,, R. Carnegie, J. Kraeuter, D. Bushek (2009) Minchinia mercenariae n sp., a novel parasite of the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria: how do we assess risk?  J. Eukaryotic Microbiology. 56:541-551.

Hofmann, E., D. Bushek, S. Ford, X. Guo, D. Haidvogel, D. Hedgecock, J. Klinck, C. Milbury, D. Narvaez, E. Powell, Y. Wang, Z. Wang, J. Wilkin, and L. Zhang (2009) Understanding how disease and environment combine to structure resistance in estuarine bivalve populations Oceanography 22:212-231.

Ford, S. E, V. M. Bricelj, C. Lambert and C. Paillard (2008) Deleterious effects of a non-PST bioactive compound(s) of Alexandrium tamarense on bivalve hemocytes. Mar. Biol. 154:241-253.

Maloy, A.P., S.E. Ford, R. Karney and K.J. Boettcher (2007) Roseovarius crassostreae, the etiological agent of Juvenile Oyster Disease in Crassostrea virginica. Aquaculture 269:71-83.

Ford, S.E. and M.M. Chintala (2006) Northward expansion of a marine parasite: Testing the role of cold adaptation. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 339:226-235.

Lafferty, K.D, J.A. Porter and S.E. Ford (2004) Are diseases increasing in the ocean? Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 35:31-54.

Burreson, E.M. and S.E. Ford (2004) A review of recent information on the phylum Haplosporidia, with special reference to Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX disease).  Aquatic Living Resources: 17:499-517.

Ford, S.E., M.M. Chintala and D. Bushek (2002) Comparison of in vitro cultured and natural Perkinsus marinus I.  Pathogen virulence. Dis. Aquat. Org. 51:187-201.

Ford, S.E., Z. Xu and G. DeBrosse (2001) Use of particle filtration and UV irradiation to prevent infection by Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX) and Perkinsus marinus (Dermo) in hatchery-reared larval and juvenile oysters. Aquaculture 194:37-49.

Ford, S.E., E.N. Powell, J.M. Klinck and E.E. Hofmann (1999) Modeling the MSX parasite in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica).  I. Model development, implementation and verification. J. Shellfish Res. 18 (2):475-500.

Ford, S.E., R.D. Barber and E. Marks (1997) Disseminated neoplasia in juvenile eastern oysters,  Crassostrea virginica, and its relationship to the reproductive cycle. Dis. Aquat. Org. 28:73-77.

Ford, S.E.  (1996) Range extension by the oyster parasite Perkinsus marinus  into the northeastern United States: response to climate change?  J. Shellfish Res. 15:45-56.