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Dr Sharon Lynch

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Dr Sharon Lynch

Research interests include shellfish health (oysters, scallops, abalone, mussels), immunology and life cycle studies of shellfish parasites and disease-causing pathogens, in particular the protistan, Bonamia ostreae.  Diagnostic techniques, cytology, histology, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridisation (ISH), are routinely used to screen for pathogens.

Publications

Lynch, S.A., Villalba, A., Abollo, E., Engelsma, M., Stokes, N. and Culloty, S.C. 2013. The occurrence of haplosporidian parasites, Haplosporidium nelsoni and Haplosporidium sp., in oysters in Ireland.  Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 112: 208-212. 

Lynch, S.A., Dillane, E., Carlsson, J., Culloty, S.C.  2013.  Development and assessment of a sensitive and cost-effective polymerase chain reaction to detect ostreid herpesvirus 1 and variants.  Journal of Shellfish Research 32: 1-8. 

The following paper was included in World Biomedical Frontiers (2013) Open Access infection and immunity section http://biomedfrontiers.org/infection-2013-9-45/"Lynch, S.A., O’Reilly, A., Cotter, E., Carlsoon, J. and Culloty, S.C. 2012. A previously undescribed ostreid herpes virus (OsHV-1) genotype detected in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, in Ireland.  Parasitology, 139:1526-1532.

Lynch, S.A., O’Reilly, A., Cotter, E., Carlsoon, J. and Culloty, S.C. 2012. A previously undescribed ostreid herpes virus (OsHV-1) genotype detected in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, in Ireland.  Parasitology, 139:1526-1532. 

Cross, M. E., O’Riordan, R., Lynch, S., Whitaker, A., Culloty. S. 2012. The reproductive biolgy of the softshell clam, Mya arenaria, in Ireland, and the possible impacts of climate variability. - Published in Journal of Marine Biology in February 2012. 

 

Lynch, S.A,  Abollo, E.,  Ramilo, A., Cao, A., Culloty, S.C. & Villalba, A.  2010.  Observations raise the question if the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, can act as either a carrier or a reservoir for Bonamia ostreae or Bonamia exitiosa. Parasitology, 137: 1515-1526.

Cotter, E., Malham, S.K., O'Keeffe, S., Lynch, S.A., Latchford, J.W., King, J.W., Beaumont, A.R. & Culloty, S.C.  2010.  Summer mortality of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, in the Irish Sea: The influence of growth, biochemistry and gametogenesis. Aquaculture, 303: 8-21.

Malham, S.K., Cotter, E., O’Keeffe, S., Lynch, S., Culloty, S.C., Latchford, J.W., King, J.W. & Beaumont, A.R. (2009).   Summer mortality of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in the Irish Sea: The influence of temperature and nutrients on health and survival.  Aquaculture,287, 128-139.

Lynch, S. , Mulcahy, M. & Culloty, S. (2008).  Efficiency of diagnostic techniques for the parasite Bonamia ostreae, in the flat oyster Ostrea edulis.  Aquaculture,281, 17-21.

Lynch, S. , Armitage, D., Wylde, S., Culloty, S. & Mulcahy, M. (2007).  The possible role of benthic macroinvertebrates and zooplankton in the life cycle of the haplosporidian Bonamia ostreae. Experimental Parasitology, 115, 359-368.

Lynch, S. , Armitage, D., Wylde, S., Culloty, S. & Mulcahy, M. (2006).  Inventory of benthic macroinvertebrates and zooplankton in several European Bonamia ostreae-endemic areas and their possible role in the life cycle of this parasite. Marine Biology, 149, 1477-1487.

Malham, S.K., Cotter, E., O’Keeffe, S., Lynch, S., Culloty, S.C., Latchford J.W., King J.W. & Beaumont, A.R. (2006).  Shellfish Aquaculture in the Irish Sea - detection and prevention of diseases in Crassostrea gigas.   Centre for Applied Marine Sciences.  Report 2006-06.  School of Ocean Science, Bangor University, Wales, UK.

Lynch, S. , Armitage, D., Wylde, S., Culloty, S. & Mulcahy,M. (2005).  The susceptibility of young prespawning oysters, Ostrea edulis, to Bonamia ostreae .   Journal of Shellfish Research, 24, 1019-1026.

Publications in preparation or submission

Lynch, S. & Culloty, S. (2011).  Reservoirs of infection: the role of some commercial molluscs in the transmission of the protistan parasite, Bonamia ostreae, a parasite of the native European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis.  (under review).

Reports

Lynch, S.A. , Armitage, D., Mulcahy, M. & Culloty, S.C. (2006).  Bonamia ostreae life cycle investigations, optimised production of resistant Ostrea edulis spat, and studies of oyster (Ostrea edulis) immune mechanisms (BOLCI).  EU CRAFT funded study (Q5CR 2002-72238). 

Lynch, S.A. & Culloty, S.C. (2009). Investigation into the susceptibility of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, the Atlantic great scallop, Pecten maximus and the Ezo abalone, Haliotis discus hannai, to the protistan Bonamia ostreae. Marine Institute Ireland ST/05/25 funded study. 

Conference posters and oral presentations

Oral conference presentations .

Lynch, S.A., Carlsson, J., Culloty, S.C. (2011). Investigation into the involvement of ostreid herpes virus (OsHV-1) in summer mortalities of Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, spat and market sized adults in Ireland.  National Shellfisheries Association Conference,  Baltimore, Maryland, March 2011.

Lynch, S. , Mulcahy, M. & Culloty, S. (2007).   “Are shellfish species other than, Ostrea edulis, susceptible to or possible carriers of Bonamia ostreae.”  European Association of Fish Pathologists, September 2007, Grado, Italy.

Lynch, S. , Armitage, D., Wylde, S., Mulcahy, M. & Culloty S. (2005).  “The susceptibility of young prespawning oysters, Ostrea edulis, to Bonamia ostreae.”  European Association of Fish Pathologists, September 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Poster conference presentations

Lynch, S.A., Cross, M., O’Grady, E., Morgan, E., O’Riordan, R., Culloty, S.C.  (2011).  Shellfish productivity in the Irish Sea: working towards a sustainable future (SUSFISH).  National Shellfisheries Association Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, March 2011.

Lynch , S.A., Morgan, E., Culloty, S.C. (2011).  Investigation into the prevalence and distribution of pathogens in cultured and wild populations of mussels Mytilus spp. in Ireland.  National Shellfisheries Association Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, March 2011.

Lynch, S.A., Culloty, S.C. (2011).  Haplosporidium nelsoni and Haplosporidium amoricanum, in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, and the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, in Ireland.  National Shellfisheries Association Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, March 2011.

 

Cross, M.E., O' Riordain, R., Lynch, S., Whitaker, A., Culloty, S. (2010).  "Aspects of the biology of the softshell clam, Mya arenaria , in Ireland.  Winner of the best student poster at the European Marine Biological Symposium, Edinburgh, 23rd-27th August 2010.

Lynch, S. , Mulcahy, M. & Culloty, S. (2007).   Efficiency of diagnostic techniques for the parasite, Bonamia ostreae, in the flat oyster Ostrea edulis. European Association of Fish Pathologists, September 2007, Grado, Italy.

Lynch, S. , Mulcahy, M., Culloty, S. (2007).   Are shellfish species other than, Ostrea edulis, susceptible to or possible carriers of Bonamia ostreae.  World Aquaculture, February 2007, Texas, USA. 

Lynch, S. , Armitage, D., Wylde, S., Mulcahy,M. & Culloty, S. (2005).  The possible role of benthic macroinvertebrates or zooplankton in the life cycle of Bonamia ostreae. European Association of Fish Pathologists, September 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Lynch, S. , Armitage, D., Wylde, S., Mulcahy, M. & Culloty, S. (2005).  The susceptibility of young prespawning oysters, Ostrea edulis , to Bonamia ostreae.”  National Shellfish Association Conference, April 2005, Philadelphia, USA.

 

Projects Currently Involved In:

  • Currently screening (histology and cytology) archival samples of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, and the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, to identify any potential pathogens (haplosporidians, viruses and bacteria) that are present in Irish oyster populations that may have been overlooked in previous studies through limitations in diagnostic techniques.  As no tissue was stored for molecular analysis, deparaffinisation of paraffin-embedded tissue (Shi et al., 2002) and DNA extraction of archival tissue using protein precipitate and cell lysis (Qiagen™) has been established.

  • Do nanoparticles induce neurodegenerative diseases? Understanding the origin of reactive oxidative species and protein aggregation and mis-folding phenomena in the presence of nanoparticles (NeuroNano).  EU 7th Framework
  • - Establishing the scientific bases and technical procedure and standards to recover the European flat oyster production through strategies to tackle the main constraint, Bonamiosis.
  • - Bioengineered micro-encapsulation of active agents delivered to shellfish. EU FP7 funding, 2011-2013.
  • Investigation into the prevalance and distribution of pathogens in cultured and wild populations of mussels Mytilus spp in Ireland

 

Aquaculture & Fisheries Development Centre

University College Cork, Cooperage Building, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork.

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