The purpose of the Research Institute for Exotic Species Microbiology is to support research into the microbiology of exotic species of plants, animals and microorganisms. This research is conducted in a variety of areas including: normal microbial ecology or flora, microorganism caused or vectored disease of exotic species and potential for transmission of exotic species microorganisms to humans.
The Tarantulas, and similar giant spiders, are common invertebrate pets, being kept and bred by thousands of enthusiasts world wide. In spite of the popularity of these animals, virtually nothing is known about the normal microbial flora, and diseases of these beneficial spiders.
A current study is designed to identify the normal bacterial, fungal and protozoan populations of Tarantulas. A second study is exploring the normal and abnormal charactoristics of tarantula blood or hemolymph.
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