Elsie Dedrick Co-Authors Article in International Parasitology Journal

2017 Jan 17

Elsie Dedrick of Staten Island, NY, has co-authored an article describing five new species of tapeworms in Folia Parasitologica, a peer-reviewed, open-access, international journal covering all branches of animal parasitology.

Nine SUNY Oneonta alumni (all former undergraduate biology majors) collaborated with Associate Professor of Biology Florian Reyda on the research over a period of six years and are co-authors on the publication.

In the article, titled, "A new genus of rhinebothriidean cestodes from batted elasmobranchs, with the description of five new species and two new combinations," Reyda and a colleague describe a new genus (group of species) of tapeworm from stingrays. "Stillabothrium" is named for the tear-dropped shape of one of its features, the bothridia of its scolex (attachment structures). A total of five new species of tapeworms are described, each by different combinations of student co-authors and Reyda. In each case, students picked the names of the new species and prepared scientific illustrations of them.

Dedrick worked primarily on the Stillabothrium campbelli species, named after William C. Campbell, a recent recipient of the 2015 Nobel Price in Physiology or Medicine.

"One of the buzzwords in biology is biodiversity, or biological diversity," said Reyda. "There are all these species and we have knowledge of a lot of them, but we're always asking, 'What species are still out there that humans have not yet discovered?' The significance of this research is just simply filling in a major knowledge gap about the natural world. We're the first people to look at those worms."

Two of Reyda's colleagues collected the parasite specimens in Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and Senegal and turned them over to him and his students for analysis. All of the work was done at SUNY Oneonta's Biological Field Station on Otsego Lake, where the students also learned how to collect fish parasite specimens to gain a better understanding of the project.

Dedrick is working part time in Oneonta while continuing to do research with Reyda at the Biological Field Station and applying to parasitology master's programs.

"The most rewarding part of my work with Dr. Reyda was presenting my research on a national level at the American Society of Parasitologists in 2015 and 2016," she said. "This research has helped me gain skills in the lab environment, but most importantly it helped me gain connections with other parasitologists across the Americas and in other countries, as well. All of these experiences have prepared me for education at a higher, more professional level. "

This work was supported by a collaborative National Science Foundation grant on which Reyda was a participant, as well as by several student research grants funded by the SUNY Oneonta Foundation.