Request Information Search
College of Science
Maria Muller sits at a lab bench with her hands resting on a lab notebook and equipment in the background.

Maria Isabel Müller

Research Associate
Department of Microbiology
PHIn Lab
Maria Muller sits at a lab bench with her hands resting on a lab notebook and equipment in the background.

Connect with Maria

Maria Isabel Müller

Research Associate
Department of Microbiology
PHIn Lab

Research

I am a biologist with a PhD in Parasitology from the State University of Campinas, São Paulo State in the southeast of Brazil. I have more than 15 years of experience in animal (mainly fish) parasitology and molecular biology. My research utilizes molecular genetics as a tool to describe new parasite species, particularly those that infect Brazilian fish species of economic value. More specifically, my research interests are focused on understanding biodiversity, parasite composition and parasite-host interactions in Myxozoa (Cnidaria).

Currently, I’m a Research Associate in the Parasite Host Interactions (PHIn) Laboratory in the Microbiology Department at Oregon State University, with Dr. Sascha Hallett, Dr. Stephen Atkinson and Dr. Julie Alexander. I lead projects related to analysis of eDNA from the Klamath River basin, to study effects before and post-dam removal. We track spatial and temporal patterns in salmonid pathogens including Ceratonova shasta, Parvicapsula minibicornis, Myxobolus cerebralis, Ichthyophthirius multifilis, and the trematode Nanophyetus salmincola. We are currently expanding our research capabilities by exploring the use of metabarcoding from eDNA samples to assess the diversity of Myxozoa in the upper basin of the Klamath River. Also, I’m currently working on a differential mortality study using transcriptomes from Ceratonova shasta genotype II from rainbow trout and coho salmon from the upper and lower basin to find genes that could possibly differentiate the host-associated parasite phenotypes, to improve parasite risk assessment.

Affiliation: American Fisheries Society – Fish Health Section

Education

Ph.D. Parasitology, State University of Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil

Publications

  • Figueredo, R.T., Müller, M.I., Corrêa, L.L., Okamura, B., Long, P.F., Adriano, E.A. (2026). Ellipsomyxa (Cnidaria: Myxozoa): diversity, life history, and description of new species from the Amazon Basin. Acta Tropica, 275:108004
  • Tavares-Costa, L.F., Ribeiro, T.P., Jesus, R.F., Haick, F.G., Müller, M.I., Melo, F.T.V. (2025). Overcoming chemical barriers: a new species of Rhabdias (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in the Brazilian Amazon. Parasitology
  • Haick, F. G., Tavares-Costa, L.F., Neves, J.K.S., Felix, A., Müller, M.I., Trindade, L., Costa-Campos, C.E., Maschio, G.F., Melo, F.T.V. (2025). A new species of Kalicephalus (Nematoda: Diaphanocephalidae), a parasite of Bothrops atrox (Serpentes: Viperidae) from the Brazilian Amazon. Journal of Parasitology, v.99
  • Santos, A.N., Tavares-Costa, L.F.S., Cardoso, E., Figueredo, R.T.A., Rebelo, G.L., Müller, M.I., Alcantara, E.P., Adriano, E.A., Morais, D.., Dos Santos, J.N., Melo, F.T.V. (2025). From 18th Century Mysteries to Modern Insights: Untangling Aplectana membranosa from Brazilian anurans. Parasitology, v. 151.
  • Gião, T., Müller, M.I., Yamada, F., Freitas, F., Leite, L., Silva, R.J., De Azevedo, R., Abdalah, V. (2025). Morphological and molecular phylogeny of Clinostomum sp. (Digenea: Clinostomidae) metacercariae, using DNA barcode from a South American freshwater fish. Journal of Helminthology, v.99
  • Müller, M.I., Atkinson, S., Bartholomew, J., Adriano, E. (2024). Novel amazonian Ceratomyxa species (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) with amoeboid plasmodial motility. Microbial Pathogenesis.
  • Figueredo, R.T.A.; Müller, M.I., Long, P., Adriano, E.A. (2023). Myxozoan Ceratomyxids infecting the gallbladder of Amazonian ornamental cichlid fish: Description of Ellypsomyxa santarenensis n. sp. and report of Ceratomyxa amazonensis in a new host. Diversity. V.
  • Müller, M.I., Atkinson, S., Bartholomew, J., Adriano, E. (2024). Novel amazonian Ceratomyxa species (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) with amoeboid plasmodial motility. Microbial Pathogenesis.
  • Correa, L. L.; Soares, G. B.; Müller, M. I.; Adriano, E. A. (2023). First morphological and molecular characterization of the genus Eustrongylides nematode larvae infecting fish in the Brazilian Amazon. Biologia, v.78, p.2855.
  • Alcantara, E. P.; Müller, M. I.; Úngari, L. P.; Ferreira-Silva, C.; Emmerich, E.; Giese, E. G.O; Morais, D. H.; Santos, A. L. Q.; O'dwyer, L. H.; Silva, R. J. (2023). Integrative taxonomy in the genus Rhabdias Stiles et Hassall, 1905 from anuran in Brazil, description of two new species and phylogenetic analyses. Parasitology International. v.93, p.102714
  • Osaki-Pereira, M. M.I; Narciso, R. B.; Vieira, D. H. M. D.; Müller, M. I.; Ebert, M.B.; Silva, R.J. (2023). Molecular phylogeny of two Rhinoxenus species (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from the nasal cavities of serrasalmids (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) from Brazil. Systematic Parasitology. v.100, p.521 – 530.
  • Rebêlo, G.L.; Santos, A.N.; Tavares-Costa, L. F. S.; Dias-Souza, M. R.; Müller, M. I.; Jesus, R. F.; Costa-Campos, C.E.; Dos Santos, J. N.; Melo, F.T. DE V. (2023). Morphological and molecular characterization of Cosmocercoides amapari n. sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae), parasitic in hylid frogs from the Brazilian Amazon. Parasitology. v.150, p.286 – 296.
  • Figueredo, R.T.A.; Müller, M. I.; Arana, S.; Long, P. F.; Adriano, E.A. (2023). Phylogenetic and host-parasite relationship analyses of Henneguya caquetaia sp. nov (Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) infecting an Amazonian cichlid fish. Microbial Pathogenesis. v.179, p.106116.
  • Müller, M. I.; Morais, D.H.; Costa, L. F. S. T.; Vasconcelos Melo, F. T.; Giese, E.G.; Ávila, R.W.; Silva, R. J. (2023). Revisiting the taxonomy of Rhabdias fuelleborni Travassos, 1928 (Nematoda, Rhabdiasidae) with approaches to delimitation of species and notes on molecular phylogeny. Parasitology International. v.92, p.102692.
  • Yamada, P. O. F.; Müller, M. I.; Zago, A. C.; Yamada, F. H.; Ebert, M. B.; Franceschini, L.; DA Silva, R. J. (2023). Three New Species of Jainus (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) Parasitizing Gills of Brazilian Freshwater Fishes Supported by Morphological and Molecular Data. Diversity. v.15, p.667
  • Alcantara, E. P.; Ebert, M. B.; Mülller, M. I.; Ungari, L. P.; Ferreira-Silva, C.; Emmerich, E.; Santos, A. L. Q.; Odwyer, L. H.; Silva, R. J. (2022). First molecular assessment on Cosmocerca spp. from Brazilian anurans and description of a new species of Cosmocerca (Ascaridomorpha: Cosmocercoidea) from the white-spotted humming frog Chiasmocleis albopunctata (Boettger, 1885) (Anura: Microhylidae). Journal of Helminthology. v.96, p.e64
  • Müller, M. I.; Adriano, E. A.; Oliveira, M. S.B.; Corrêa, L. L. (2022). Integrative taxonomy suggests that South American freshwater nematodes Echinocephalus and their host stingrays co-originated in late Oligocene to early Miocene. JOURNAL OF Helminthology. v.96, p.1 - 11.
  • Müller, M.I., Naldoni, J., Corrêa, L.L., Adriano, E.A. (2022). Two novel species of Myxobolus parasitizing the gills of Semaprochilodus insignis in the Brazilian Amazon. Microbial Pathogenesis. V. 165, p. 105464.
  • Tavares-Costa, L.F.S., Rebêlo, G.L., Müller, M.I., Jesus, R.F., Nadyara, B., Silva. L.M.O., Costa-Campos, C.E., dos Santos J.N., Melo, F.T.V. (2022). A new species of Rhabdias (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae), a lung parasite of Pristimantis chiastonotus (Anura: Strabomatidae) from the Brazilian Amazon: description and phylogenetic analyses. Parasitology Research. V. 121, p. 155-166.
  • Müller, M. I., Emmerich, E., Alcantara, E. P., Ungari, l. P., Ebert, M. B., Morais, D.H., Odwyer, L. H., Silva, R. J. (2021). First molecular assessment of two digenean parasites of the lancehead snake Bothrops moojeni Hoge, 1966 (Serpentes, Viperidae) in Brazil. Parasitology Research (1987. INTERNET), p.1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-020-07041-3
  • Pelegrini, L. S., Gião, T., Vieira, D. H. M. D Müller, M. I., Silva, R. J., Pérez-ponce de Leon, G., Azevedo, R. K., Abdallah, V. D. (2019). Molecular and morphological characterization of the metacercariae of two species of diplostomid trematodes (Platyhelminthes, Digenea) in freshwater fishes of the Batalha River, Brazil. Parasitology Research. V.118, p.2169 – 2182. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06362-2
  • Müller, M. I., Morais, D.H., Costa-Silva, G. J., Aguiar, A., Avila, R. W., Silva, R. J. (2018). Diversity in the genus Rhabdias (Nematoda, Rhabdiasidae): evidence for cryptic speciation. Zoologica Scripta. v.47, p.595-607. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12304
  • Müller, M. I., Morais, D.H., Silva, R. J. (2018). Molecular phylogenetic position of Haplometroides intercaecalis (Digenea, Plagiorchiidae). Acta Parasitologica. v.63, p.522 – 526. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2018-0062
  • Müller, M.I, Ceccarelli, P.S., Ueta, M.T. (2016). Supplementary studies on Anacanthorus penilabiatus and Mymarothecium viatorum (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from Piaractus mesopotamicus Characidae: Serrasalmidae) in Brazil. Acta Parasitologica. V. 61(3), p. 508-515. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2016-0067
  • Müller, M.I., Adriano, E.A., Ceccarelli, P.S., Silva, M.R.M., Maia, A.A.M., Ueta, M.T. (2013). Prevalence, intensity and phylogenetic analysis of Henneguya piaractus and Myxobolus cf. colossomatis from farmed Piaractus mesopotamicus in Brazil. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. V. 107, p. 129-139.DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao02668