Funding
This project was funded by the Henrik Henriksens Fond and by the European Partnership for Animal Health and Welfare.
PhD defence
PhD defence by Alejandra Villamil Alonso
Alejandra Villamil Alonso will defend her PhD thesis, “Renibacterium salmoninarum: molecular tracing in the North-East Atlantic and infection studies in rainbow trout”.
On Friday, 6 March 2026, at 13:00, Alejandra Villamil Alonso from DTU Aqua will defend her PhD thesis, “Renibacterium salmoninarum: molecular tracing in the North-East Atlantic and infection studies in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)”.
You can follow the defence online on Zoom via this link or in person at DTU Lyngby Campus, building 208, auditorium 54, 2800 Kongens Lyngby.
Alejandra Villamil Alonso’s thesis investigates the population structure of the bacteria Renibacterium salmoninarum, infection dynamics in rainbow trout, and host-pathogen interactions through complementary genomic, experimental, and transcriptomic approaches.
R. salmoninarum causes bacterial kidney disease (BKD) in farmed and wild salmonid populations worldwide. The infections are often subclinical and may remain chronic, with bacteria able to spread from asymptomatic fish. No vaccine or treatment for BKD have proven effective. Therefore, long-term infection reservoirs can undermine disease control and biosecurity efforts in aquaculture.
Alejandra Villamil Alonso’s work resolves the phylogenomic relationships of the largest collection of R. salmoninarum to date, including those related to the BKD epizootics developing in Norway between late 2022 to 2024. She also established an infection model providing a valuable framework for future studies on subclinical infections.
Examiners
- Professor Niels Lorenzen, DTU Aqua (chair)
- Professor Karl Pedersen, Aarhus University
- Professor Øysten Evensen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Chair of defence
- Senior Researcher Tommy Norin, DTU Aqua
Supervisors
- Principal Supervisor: Senior Researcher Argelia Cuenca, DTU Aqua
- Co-supervisor: Professor Lone Madsen, DTU Aqua
- Co-supervisor: Senior Researcher Niccolò Vendramin, DTU Aqua
Learn more
A copy of the thesis is available for reading at DTU Aqua. Please contact PhD Coordinator Susan Zumbach Johannesen, szjo@aqua.dtu.dk