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Weapons of Microdestruction: Retelling the Story of a Parasite and Pacific Salmon in Four Movements

Weapons of Microdestruction: Retelling the Story of a Parasite and Pacific Salmon in Four Movements

Collaborative Team: Jerri Bartholomew, Professor, Dept of Microbiology, Colleges of Science and Agricultural Sciences; Dana Reason, Ph.D., composer, performer and musicologist; School of Visual, Performing and Design Arts; Andrew Myers, visual artist; School of Visual, Performing and Design Arts

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Weapons of Microdestruction

This story is about a parasite, Ceratonova shasta, that infects our most iconic species – Pacific salmon. The parasite life cycle in the salmon begins when the spore fires its nematocysts into the gills of the fish. However, what we truly understand about parasite development in the fish is pieced together from snapshots taken through a microscope.

This video explores the flow of parasite development through a different lens. In it, composer Dana Reason provides a soundtrack for the parasite story, expressing the musical drama of the host and parasite. The live drawing by visual artist Andy Myers imagines the parasite’s life cycle in the host, as it transitions from one spore stage to the next, filling the gaps in our understanding of parasite development.