Dr. Taylor Heckman

Bio

I am a microbiologist with expertise in warmwater bacterial pathogens of fish. My research aims to uncover the genetic and physiological underpinnings of microbial transmission and pathogenesis, then to target that information towards developing tools for sustainable disease management in aquaculture. I am particularly interested in emerging pathogens and bacteria that are capable of infecting a broad range of host species.

Areas of Specialization

Aquaculture; Microbiology; Bacteriology; Immunology; Vaccinology

Education

University of California-Davis
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Microbiology

Williamette University
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Biology

Publications

2025

Balami, S., Khoo, L. H., Older, C. E., Waldbieser, G. C., Camus, A. C., Heckman, T. I., Ware, C. C., Richardson, B. M., Hawke, J. P., López‐Porras, A., Soto, E., Shoemaker, C. A., Lawrence, M. L., Peterman, A. E., Peterman, M. A., Hanson, L. A., Griffin, M. J. 2025. Streptococcus dysgalactiae From Farm‐Raised Channel Catfish in Mississippi, USA, With Notes on Fish‐Associated Group C S. dysgalactiae. Journal of Fish Diseases. Download

Heckman, T. I., Milston-Clements, R., Yazdi, Z., Camus, A. C., Anenson, K. M., Mitchell, H., Adkison, M. A., Soto, E. 2025. Florfenicol- and erythromycin-medicated feeds are similarly efficacious in reducing mortality from Lactococcus petauri infections in Rainbow Trout. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health. Download

Huda, N., Older, C. E., Ware, C., Heckman, T. I., Rose, D., Marancik, D. P., Khoo, L. H., Griffin, M. J. 2025. Complete genome of Lactococcus lactis isolate S11-599 from the brain of a silver carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ) during a mass mortality event in the Mississippi river. Microbiology Resource Announcements. Download

Meyer, C., Shrestha, R. P., Milston‐Clements, R., Gibson, S., Heckman, T. I., Yazdi, Z., Soto, E. 2025. Immune Response of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Vaccinated With Diatom‐Based Oral Vaccines Against Piscine Francisellosis. Journal of Fish Diseases. Download

2024

Heckman, T. I., Yazdi, Z., Older, C. E., Griffin, M. J., Waldbieser, G. C., Chow, A. M., Medina Silva, I., Anenson, K. M., García, J. C., LaFrentz, B. R., Slavic, D., Toohey-Kurth, K. L., Yant, P., Fritz, H. M., Henderson, E. E., McDowall, R., Cai, H., Adkison, M., Soto, E. 2024. Redefining piscine lactococcosis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 90(5). Download

Jungers, H. T., Knych, H. K., Henderson, E. E., Abraham, T. N., Heckman, T. I., Quijano Cardé, E. M., Yazdi, Z., Nguyen, D. T., Silva, I. M., Krol, L., Dunker, F. H., Martínez-López, B., Soto, E. 2024. PHARMACOKINETICS OF CEFTAZIDIME IN SIGNAL CRAYFISH (PACIFASTACUS LENIUSCULUS) FOLLOWING A SINGLE DOSE. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 55(4):949-958. Download

Quijano Cardé, E. M., Anenson, K. M., Yun, S., Heckman, T. I., Jungers, H. T., Henderson, E. E., Purcell, S. L., Fast, M., Soto, E. 2024. Effects of Acipenserid herpesvirus 2 on the outcome of a Streptococcus iniae co-infection in white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). Frontiers in Aquaculture 3. Download

2023

Abraham, T., Yazdi, Z., Littman, E., Shahin, K., Heckman, T. I., Quijano Cardé, E. M., Nguyen, D. T., Hu, R., Adkison, M., Veek, T., Mukkatira, K., Richey, C., Kwak, K., Mohammed, H. H., Ortega, C., Avendaño‐Herrera, R., Keleher, W., LePage, V., Gardner, I., Welch, T. J., Soto, E. 2023. Detection and virulence of Lactococcus garvieae and L. petauri from four lakes in southern California. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 35(3):187-198. Download

Heckman, T. I., Yazdi, Z., Pomaranski, E. K., Sebastião, F. d., Mukkatira, K., Vuglar, B. M., Cain, K. D., Loch, T. P., Soto, E. 2023. Atypical flavobacteria recovered from diseased fish in the Western United States. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 13. Download

Littman, E. M., Heckman, T. I., Yazdi, Z., Veek, T., Mukkatira, K., Adkison, M., Powell, A., Camus, A., Soto, E. 2023. Temperature-associated virulence, species susceptibility and interspecies transmission of a Lactococcus petauri strain from rainbow trout. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 155:147-158. Download

Older, C. E., Yamamoto, F., Griffin, M. J., Ware, C., Heckman, T. I., Soto, E., Bosworth, B. G., Waldbieser, G. C. 2023. Comparison of high‐throughput sequencing methods for bacterial microbiota profiling in catfish aquaculture. North American Journal of Aquaculture 86(1):39-54. Download

Pulpipat, T., Heckman, T. I., Boonyawiwat, V., Kerddee, P., Phatthanakunanan, S., Soto, E., Surachetpong, W. 2023. Concurrent infections of Streptococcus iniae and Aeromonas veronii in farmed Giant snakehead (Channa micropeltes). Journal of Fish Diseases 46(6):629-641. Download

2022

Heckman, T. I., Shahin, K., Henderson, E. E., Griffin, M. J., Soto, E. 2022. Development and efficacy of Streptococcus iniae live-attenuated vaccines in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Fish & Shellfish Immunology 121:152-162. Download

Morick, D., Davidovich, N., Zemah-Shamir, Z., Bigal, E., Rokney, A., Ron, M., Blum, S. E., Fleker, M., Soto, E., Heckman, T. I., Lau, S. C., Wosnick, N., Tchernov, D., Scheinin, A. P. 2022. First Isolation and Characterization of Streptococcus agalactiae From a Stranded Wild Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis). Frontiers in Marine Science 9. Download

Shahin, K., Mukkatira, K., Yazdi, Z., Richey, C., Kwak, K., Heckman, T. I., Mohammed, H. H., Ortega, C., Avendaño‐Herrera, R., Keleher, B., Hyatt, M. W., Drennan, J. D., Adkison, M., Griffin, M. J., Soto, E. 2022. Development of a quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of the aetiological agents of piscine lactococcosis. Journal of Fish Diseases 45(6):847-859. Download

Shoemaker, C. A., Heckman, T. I., Soto, E., LaFrentz, B. R., Beck, B., Paulson, M., Garcia, J. C. 2022. Coinfection by Group C Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis and Flavobacterium davisii in Nile Tilapia from the United States. Bulletin of the European Association of Fish Pathologists 42(2):67-78. Download

2021

Ang, J., Pierezan, F., Kim, S., Heckman, T. I., Sebastiao, F. A., Yazdi, Z., Abdelrazek, S. M., Soto, E. 2021. Use of Topical Treatments and Effects of Water Temperature on Wound Healing in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 52(1):103-116. Download

Hawke, J. P., Daniel, R., Strother, K., Sokolova, Y., Elliott, J., Carossino, M., Langohr, I., Del Piero, F., López‐Porras, A., Heckman, T. I., Soto, E., Griffin, M. J. 2021. Streptococcus dysgalactiae: A Pathogen of Feral Populations of Silver Carp from a Fish Kill Event. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 33(4):231-242. Download

Heckman, T. I., Soto, E. 2021. Streptococcus iniae biofilm formation enhances environmental persistence and resistance to antimicrobials and disinfectants. Aquaculture 540:736739. Download

Sebastião, F. d., Shahin, K., Heckman, T. I., LaFrentz, B. R., Griffin, M. J., Loch, T. P., Mukkatira, K., Veek, T., Richey, C., Adkison, M., Holt, R. A., Soto, E. 2021. Genetic characterization of Flavobacterium columnare isolates from the Pacific Northwest, USA. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 144:151-158. Download

Shahin, K., Veek, T., Heckman, T. I., Littman, E., Mukkatira, K., Adkison, M., Welch, T. J., Imai, D. M., Pastenkos, G., Camus, A., Soto, E. 2021. Isolation and characterization ofLactococcus garvieaefrom rainbow trout, Onchorhyncus mykiss, from California, USA. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases 69(4):2326-2343. Download

2020

Heckman, T. I., Griffin, M. J., Camus, A. C., LaFrentz, B. R., Morick, D., Smirnov, R., Ofek, T., Soto, E. 2020. Multilocus sequence analysis of diverse Streptococcus iniae isolates indicates an underlying genetic basis for phenotypic heterogeneity. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 141:53-69. Download

Pierezan, F., Shahin, K., Heckman, T. I., Ang, J., Byrne, B. A., Soto, E. 2020. Outbreaks of severe myositis in cultured white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus L.) associated with Streptococcus iniae. Journal of Fish Diseases 43(4):485-490. Download

2018

Herr, K. L., Carey, A. M., Heckman, T. I., Johnson, C. N., Harvey, E., Gamroth, W. A., Wulfing, B. S., Van Kessel, R. A., Marks, M. E., Laki Chávez, J. 2018. Exopolysaccharide production in Caulobacter crescentus: A resource allocation trade-off between protection and proliferation. PLOS ONE 13(1):e0190371. Download