Invasive Salmonoid Parasite
Collection Day
Suhaylah Ahmad Ali's research lies beyond the scope of the lab or classroom, studying the effect of the invasive salmonoid parasite through her research of freshwater zebra mussel.
The zebra mussel samples are analyzed in a laboratory at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Researchers use advanced techniques such as DNA extraction, qPCR (a technique to detect genetic material), and histopathology (studying tissues under a microscope) to check for issues.
The samples will help researchers to understand these invasive species and their impact on local ecosystems. Studying these mussels are important because of their disruption of native aquatic life, water quart, and clogging municipal facilities.
As they continue researching, these scientists hope to find better ways to manage and control their spread while protecting infrastructure and the environment.
Suhaylah Ahmad Ali poses for a portrait while inspecting rock samples for invasive freshwater mussel to determine if they are a viable host and transmitter of the salmonid parasite along the shore of the Maumee River in Perrysburg, Ohio on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
Suhaylah Ahmad Ali collects samples of invasive freshwater mussel to determine if they are a viable host and transmitter of the salmonid parasite along the shore of the Maumee River in Perrysburg, Ohio on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
The freshwater mussels are an indicator that there could be a potential site of the parasite, the parasite is on the right hand side below the separated group of zebra mussels.
Suhaylah Ahmad Ali and a colleague on the shore of Lake Erie in Oak Harbor, Ohio on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
In the Laboratory
The zebra mussel samples are dissected and organized once back in the laboratory, ready to be homogenized to prepare them for DNA extraction.
Zebra mussel fragments are stripped of their shell and dissected in a laboratory in East Lansing, Michigan on Feb. 20, 2025.
Zebra mussel fragments are stripped of their shell and dissected in a laboratory, and then processed for microscopic viewing for further analysis of the invasive species.
Suhaylah Ahmad Ali views zebra mussel samples in a laboratory in East Lansing, Michigan on Feb. 20, 2025.
