James Winton, Ph.D.
Jim works with scientists, technicians, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students and visiting scientists working to improve methods for the detection of fish pathogens, determine factors affecting the epidemiology of fish diseases, and develop novel control strategies for reducing losses among both hatchery-reared and wild fish.
Research Interests
Infectious diseases of fish, fish cell and tissue culture, molecular taxonomy and epidemiology of fish pathogens, ecology of fish diseases in wild populations.
Mentorship/Outreach
- 1995 to Present - Professor (Affiliate Faculty), University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Seattle, WA
- 1983-1986 - Assistant Professor, Oregon State University, Department of Microbiology, Corvallis, OR
Professional Experience
2017 to Present - Senior Scientists, Emeritus
1996-2017 - Chief, Fish Health Section, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
1995 to Present - Professor (Affiliate Faculty), University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Seattle, WA
1986-1996 - Project Leader, Infectious Diseases of Fish. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
1983-1986 - Assistant Professor, Oregon State University, Department of Microbiology, Corvallis, OR
1984 to Present - Canadian Fish Health Official - International shipments of salmonid fish and gametes
1981 to Present - U.S. Title 50 Inspector - International shipments of salmonid fish and gametes
2010 - Pacific Salmon Commission - Invited expert to panel investigating Fraser River sockeye declines
1991-2000 - Office International des Epizooties (OIE), Paris - Elected to Fish Diseases Commission
1990-2003 - American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) - Animal Virus Advisory Group
1988-2000 - International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) - Reovirus Study Group
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1981. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
B.A. 1967. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Society for Microbiology
American Fisheries Society
European Association of Fish Pathologists
Japanese Society of Fish Pathologists
Wildlife Disease Association
Honors and Awards
2015 - Senior Scientist – U.S. Geological Survey
2006 - Department of Interior Distinguished Service Award
2000 - American Fisheries Society Fish Health Section S. F. Snieszko Distinguished Service Award
1999 - Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 164
An isolate of Piscirickettsia salmonis from white seabass is fully virulent for coho salmon
The virulence of the WSB-98 isolate of Piscirickettsia salmonis from white seabass Atractoscion nobilis was compared with that of the American Type Culture Collection type strain LF-89, which was originally isolated from coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch in Chile. In controlled laboratory challenges of juvenile coho salmon, the isolate from white seabass exhibited virulence that was equal...
Authors
M.L. House, R.P. Hedrick, J. R. Winton, J. L. Fryer
Genetic effects of ELISA-based segregation for control of bacterial kidney disease in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
We evaluated genetic variation in ability of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to resist two bacterial pathogens: Renibacterium salmoninarum, the agent of bacterial kidney disease (BKD), and Listonella anguillarum, an agent of vibriosis. After measuring R. salmoninarum antigen in 499 adults by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we mated each of 12 males with high or low...
Authors
J.J. Hard, D.G. Elliott, R.J. Pascho, D.M. Chase, L.K. Park, J. R. Winton, D.E. Campton
Sequence motifs and prokaryotic expression of the reptilian paramyxovirus fusion protein
Fourteen reptilian paramyxovirus isolates were chosen to represent the known extent of genetic diversity among this novel group of viruses. Selected regions of the fusion (F) gene were sequenced, analyzed and compared. The F gene of all isolates contained conserved motifs homologous to those described for other members of the family Paramyxoviridae including: signal peptide...
Authors
J. Franke, W.N. Batts, W. Ahne, Gael Kurath, J. R. Winton
Interactions among two strains of Tubifex tubifex (Oligochaeta: Tubificidae) and Myxobolus cerebralis (Myxozoa)
Host-parasite interactions influence host population growth, host evolution and parasite success. We examined the interactions among Myxobolus cerebralis, the parasite that causes salmonid whirling disease, and resistant and susceptible strains of the oligochaete host Tubifex tubifex. Strains of T. tubifex with diverse genotypes often coexist in nature and have variable susceptibilities...
Authors
Elwell L.C. Steinbach, B.L. Kerans, C. Rasmussen, J. R. Winton
Immunogenicity and efficacy of three recombinant subunit Pasteurella multocida toxin vaccines against progressive atrophic rhinitis in pigs
Three short fragments of recombinant subunit Pasteurella multocida toxin (rsPMT) were constructed for evaluation as candidate vaccines against progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR) of swine. PMT-specific antibody secreting cells and evidence of cellular immunity were detected in rsPMT-immunized pigs following authentic PMT challenge or homologous antigen booster. Piglets immunized with...
Authors
Chih-Ming Liao, Chienjin Huang, Shih-Ling Hsuan, Zeng-Weng Chen, Wei-Cheng Lee, Cheng-I Liu, James R. Winton, Maw-Sheng Chien
Combined use of the ASK and SHK-1 cell lines to enhance the detection of infectious salmon anemia virus
Infectious salmon anemia (ISA) is a severe disease primarily affecting commercially farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in seawater. The disease has been reported in portions of Canada, the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, and the United States. Infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV), the causative agent of ISA, has also been isolated from several asymptomatic marine and salmonid fish...
Authors
J.B. Rolland, D. Bouchard, J. Coll, J. R. Winton
A risk assessment based approach for the management of whirling disease
No abstract available
Authors
J. L. Bartholomew, B. Kerans, R.P. Hedrick, S. C. MacDiarmid, J. R. Winton
Fish can get diseases too
Infectious diseases are increasingly recognized as an important component of the ecology of fish in the wild. Many of the viral, bacterial, protozoan and fungal pathogens of fish that were initially discovered in captive fish have their origin among wild populations; however, the impact of disease among these free-ranging stocks has been difficult to study. At the WFRC, combinations of...
Authors
J. R. Winton, M. Mesa, G. Kurath, D. Elliot
Quantitative expression profiling of immune response genes in rainbow trout following infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) infection or DNA vaccination
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a well-studied virus of salmonid fishes. A highly efficacious DNA vaccine has been developed against this virus and studies have demonstrated that this vaccine induces both an early and transient non-specific anti-viral phase as well as long-term specific protection. The mechanisms of the early anti-viral phase are not known, but...
Authors
Maureen K. Purcell, Gael Kurath, Kyle A. Garver, Russell P. Herwig, James R. Winton
Major histocompatibility complex loci are associated with susceptibility of Atlantic salmon to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus
Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is one of the most significant viral pathogens of salmonids and is a leading cause of death among cultured juvenile fish. Although several vaccine strategies have been developed, some of which are highly protective, the delivery systems are still too costly for general use by the aquaculture industry. More cost effective methods could come...
Authors
Kristina M. Miller, James R. Winton, Angela D. Schulze, Maureen K. Purcell, Tobi J. Ming
Differential propagation of the metazoan parasite Myxobolus cerebralis by Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Ilyodrilus templetoni, and genetically distinct strains of Tubifex tubifex
Whirling disease, caused by the parasite Myxobolus cerebralis, has infected rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and other salmonid fish in the western United States, often with devastating results to native populations but without a discernible spatial pattern. The parasite develops in a complex 2-host system in which the aquatic oligochaete Tubifex tubifex is an obligate host. Because...
Authors
B.L. Kerans, C. Rasmussen, R. Stevens, A.E.L. Colwell, J. R. Winton
Molecular characterization of birnaviruses isolated from wild marine fishes at the Flemish Cap (Newfoundland)
Several isolates of aquatic birnaviruses were recovered from different species of wild fish caught in the Flemish Cap, a Newfoundland fishery close to the Atlantic coast of Canada. The nucleotide sequence of a region of the NS gene was identical among the isolates and was most similar to the Dry Mills and West Buxton reference strains of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV)...
Authors
I. Romero-Brey, W.N. Batts, I. Bandin, J. R. Winton, C.P. Dopazo
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 164
An isolate of Piscirickettsia salmonis from white seabass is fully virulent for coho salmon
The virulence of the WSB-98 isolate of Piscirickettsia salmonis from white seabass Atractoscion nobilis was compared with that of the American Type Culture Collection type strain LF-89, which was originally isolated from coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch in Chile. In controlled laboratory challenges of juvenile coho salmon, the isolate from white seabass exhibited virulence that was equal...
Authors
M.L. House, R.P. Hedrick, J. R. Winton, J. L. Fryer
Genetic effects of ELISA-based segregation for control of bacterial kidney disease in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
We evaluated genetic variation in ability of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to resist two bacterial pathogens: Renibacterium salmoninarum, the agent of bacterial kidney disease (BKD), and Listonella anguillarum, an agent of vibriosis. After measuring R. salmoninarum antigen in 499 adults by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we mated each of 12 males with high or low...
Authors
J.J. Hard, D.G. Elliott, R.J. Pascho, D.M. Chase, L.K. Park, J. R. Winton, D.E. Campton
Sequence motifs and prokaryotic expression of the reptilian paramyxovirus fusion protein
Fourteen reptilian paramyxovirus isolates were chosen to represent the known extent of genetic diversity among this novel group of viruses. Selected regions of the fusion (F) gene were sequenced, analyzed and compared. The F gene of all isolates contained conserved motifs homologous to those described for other members of the family Paramyxoviridae including: signal peptide...
Authors
J. Franke, W.N. Batts, W. Ahne, Gael Kurath, J. R. Winton
Interactions among two strains of Tubifex tubifex (Oligochaeta: Tubificidae) and Myxobolus cerebralis (Myxozoa)
Host-parasite interactions influence host population growth, host evolution and parasite success. We examined the interactions among Myxobolus cerebralis, the parasite that causes salmonid whirling disease, and resistant and susceptible strains of the oligochaete host Tubifex tubifex. Strains of T. tubifex with diverse genotypes often coexist in nature and have variable susceptibilities...
Authors
Elwell L.C. Steinbach, B.L. Kerans, C. Rasmussen, J. R. Winton
Immunogenicity and efficacy of three recombinant subunit Pasteurella multocida toxin vaccines against progressive atrophic rhinitis in pigs
Three short fragments of recombinant subunit Pasteurella multocida toxin (rsPMT) were constructed for evaluation as candidate vaccines against progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR) of swine. PMT-specific antibody secreting cells and evidence of cellular immunity were detected in rsPMT-immunized pigs following authentic PMT challenge or homologous antigen booster. Piglets immunized with...
Authors
Chih-Ming Liao, Chienjin Huang, Shih-Ling Hsuan, Zeng-Weng Chen, Wei-Cheng Lee, Cheng-I Liu, James R. Winton, Maw-Sheng Chien
Combined use of the ASK and SHK-1 cell lines to enhance the detection of infectious salmon anemia virus
Infectious salmon anemia (ISA) is a severe disease primarily affecting commercially farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in seawater. The disease has been reported in portions of Canada, the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, and the United States. Infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV), the causative agent of ISA, has also been isolated from several asymptomatic marine and salmonid fish...
Authors
J.B. Rolland, D. Bouchard, J. Coll, J. R. Winton
A risk assessment based approach for the management of whirling disease
No abstract available
Authors
J. L. Bartholomew, B. Kerans, R.P. Hedrick, S. C. MacDiarmid, J. R. Winton
Fish can get diseases too
Infectious diseases are increasingly recognized as an important component of the ecology of fish in the wild. Many of the viral, bacterial, protozoan and fungal pathogens of fish that were initially discovered in captive fish have their origin among wild populations; however, the impact of disease among these free-ranging stocks has been difficult to study. At the WFRC, combinations of...
Authors
J. R. Winton, M. Mesa, G. Kurath, D. Elliot
Quantitative expression profiling of immune response genes in rainbow trout following infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) infection or DNA vaccination
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a well-studied virus of salmonid fishes. A highly efficacious DNA vaccine has been developed against this virus and studies have demonstrated that this vaccine induces both an early and transient non-specific anti-viral phase as well as long-term specific protection. The mechanisms of the early anti-viral phase are not known, but...
Authors
Maureen K. Purcell, Gael Kurath, Kyle A. Garver, Russell P. Herwig, James R. Winton
Major histocompatibility complex loci are associated with susceptibility of Atlantic salmon to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus
Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is one of the most significant viral pathogens of salmonids and is a leading cause of death among cultured juvenile fish. Although several vaccine strategies have been developed, some of which are highly protective, the delivery systems are still too costly for general use by the aquaculture industry. More cost effective methods could come...
Authors
Kristina M. Miller, James R. Winton, Angela D. Schulze, Maureen K. Purcell, Tobi J. Ming
Differential propagation of the metazoan parasite Myxobolus cerebralis by Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Ilyodrilus templetoni, and genetically distinct strains of Tubifex tubifex
Whirling disease, caused by the parasite Myxobolus cerebralis, has infected rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and other salmonid fish in the western United States, often with devastating results to native populations but without a discernible spatial pattern. The parasite develops in a complex 2-host system in which the aquatic oligochaete Tubifex tubifex is an obligate host. Because...
Authors
B.L. Kerans, C. Rasmussen, R. Stevens, A.E.L. Colwell, J. R. Winton
Molecular characterization of birnaviruses isolated from wild marine fishes at the Flemish Cap (Newfoundland)
Several isolates of aquatic birnaviruses were recovered from different species of wild fish caught in the Flemish Cap, a Newfoundland fishery close to the Atlantic coast of Canada. The nucleotide sequence of a region of the NS gene was identical among the isolates and was most similar to the Dry Mills and West Buxton reference strains of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV)...
Authors
I. Romero-Brey, W.N. Batts, I. Bandin, J. R. Winton, C.P. Dopazo
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government