Ruth Francis-Floyd

Ruth Francis-Floyd, DVM, MS, DACZM

Professor

Department: Large Animal Clinical Sciences
Business Phone: (386) 643-8904
Business Email: rffloyd@ufl.edu

About Ruth Francis-Floyd

Ruth Francis-Floyd is a professor and extension specialist for aquatic medicine within the College of Veterinary Medicine. She holds a joint appointment in the Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation and is an Affiliate Extension Specialist with Florida Sea Grant. Her area of expertise is production aquaculture and clinical fish medicine, but her extension and out reach efforts also include some marine mammal activities. She served as the Director of the Aquatic Animal Health program from 2004-2013 before returning to her role as an extension specialist. She currently coordinates the Residency Training program in Aquatic Animal Health that is accredited by the American College of Zoological Medicine. She also currently serves as Chairman of the Education Committee of the American Association of Fish Veterinarians.

Accomplishments

William Medway Award for Excellence in Teaching
2008 · International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine
Alumni Achievement Aaward
2002 · University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
Superior Accomplishment Award
2000 · University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught
2019-2021
VME4012 Aquatic Animal Conservation Issues
2019-2021
VME6010 Aquatic Animal Conservation Issues
2018-2024
VEM5371 Aq An Conserv Issues
2013,2019-2024
FAS6905 Individual Study
2011-2013,2018-2023
VEM5378C Seavet Clin Training
2006,2012-2014,2014-2021
FAS5255C Diseases of Warmwater Fish
2011-2013,2018-2024
VEM5504 Prevent/Productn Med
2015,2017-2019,2019-2020
FAS6256 Fish and Aquatic Invertebrate Histology
2014-2015,2019-2021,2021
VME4103 Livestock Health/Disease Prevention
2018
VME7980 Research for Doctoral Dissertation
2012-2013,2015
FAS6932 Special Topics in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
2013-2015
VEM5912 Supervised Research
2014
FAS4905 Individual Study
2010,2012
VEM5374L Dis Warm Water Fish
2011
VEM5288 Sm An Clin Pharmacol
2011
VEM5810 Sen Clk Aquat Anm Med
2010-2011
VEM5375L Adv Dis Warm Wat Fish
2008,2022-2023
VME6905 Problems in Veterinary Medical Sciences
2007
VME6934 Topics in Veterinary Medical Sciences
2021
FOR6905 Research Problems in Forest Resources and Conservation
2021
VME6938 Topics in Aquatic Animal Health
2022-2023
FAS5255 Diseases of Warmwater Fish
2022-2023
VEM5374 Diseases of Warm Water Fish

Board Certifications

  • Diplomate
    American College of Zoological Medicine

Research Profile

Dr. Francis-Floyd often collaborates with other researchers to work on broad problems. In recent years, she has coordinated a large group of researchers working on the health of the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) in Florida, and recently was lead author on a diagnostic manual published for the species. She currently supports projects at the Florida Conservation Center in Apollo Beach Florida that are directed at culture of the species with the ultimate goal of stock enhancement in Florida waters. She currently serves as the principal investigator on a USDA-NIFA project that supports the training of private veterinarians in aquaculture practice. In recent years, she has also collaborated on projects that support improved understanding of the biology and habitat requirements of the African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) in West Africa, and on a series of projects to support improved understanding of Cold-Stress syndrome in the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Dr. Francis-Floyd frequently collaborates with scientists in the Florida Fish and Conservation Commission, appropriate federal agencies and other public entities.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0003-4821-7826

Publications

2023
A scuticociliate causes mass mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean Sea.
Science advances. 9(16) [DOI] 10.1126/sciadv.adg3200. [PMID] 37075109.
2023
Diagnosis of piscine francisellosis in Largemouth Bass from a public display exhibit in north‐central Florida, USA
Journal of Aquatic Animal Health. 35(4):201-210 [DOI] 10.1002/aah.10197.
2023
Introducción al Manejo de la Salud de los Peces
EDIS. 2023(1) [DOI] 10.32473/edis-fa246-2023.
2023
Vibrio harveyi in a Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) with hepatopancreas necrosis.
Veterinary pathology. 60(5):618-623 [DOI] 10.1177/03009858231164754. [PMID] 37042270.
2022
Ammonia in Aquatic Systems
EDIS. 2022(4) [DOI] 10.32473/edis-fa031-2022.
2022
Recommendations and Action Plans to Improve Ex Situ Nutrition and Health of Marine Teleosts.
Journal of aquatic animal health. 34(2):69-81 [DOI] 10.1002/aah.10150. [PMID] 35199884.
2021
African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) habitat suitability at Lake Ossa, Cameroon, using trophic state models and predictions of submerged aquatic vegetation.
Ecology and evolution. 11(21):15212-15224 [DOI] 10.1002/ece3.8202. [PMID] 34765172.
2021
Diet composition of the African manatee: Spatial and temporal variation within the Sanaga River Watershed, Cameroon.
Ecology and evolution. 11(22):15833-15845 [DOI] 10.1002/ece3.8254. [PMID] 34824793.
2018
Establishing a Diagnostic Technique for Coelomocentesis in the Long-Spined Sea Urchin Diadema antillarum.
Journal of aquatic animal health. 30(4):325-331 [DOI] 10.1002/aah.10043. [PMID] 30336511.
2018
From macrocosm to microcosm: The art and beauty of plant material and diatoms in sea urchin fecal cytology specimens.
Veterinary clinical pathology. 47(4):525-526 [DOI] 10.1111/vcp.12675. [PMID] 30500080.
2018
Phylogenomic characterization of two novel members of the genus Megalocytivirus from archived ornamental fish samples.
Diseases of aquatic organisms. 130(1):11-24 [DOI] 10.3354/dao03250. [PMID] 30154268.
2018
Systemic Edwardsiella tarda infection in a Western African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) with cytologic observation of heterophil projections.
Journal of fish diseases. 41(9):1453-1458 [DOI] 10.1111/jfd.12831. [PMID] 29882594.
2016
Disseminated toxoplasmosis Toxoplasma gondii in a wild Florida manatee Trichechus manatus latirostris and seroprevalence in two wild populations.
Diseases of aquatic organisms. 122(1):77-83 [PMID] 27901507.
2014
Development of a nonlethal health assessment for wild Red Drum using a health index.
Journal of aquatic animal health. 26(2):91-5 [DOI] 10.1080/08997659.2014.886633. [PMID] 24895862.
2013
Diagnosis and successful treatment of a lung abscess associated with Brucella species infection in a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).
Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. 44(2):495-9 [PMID] 23805575.
2013
Megalocytivirus infection in orbiculate batfish Platax orbicularis.
Diseases of aquatic organisms. 105(1):1-8 [DOI] 10.3354/dao02594. [PMID] 23836765.
2012
Molecular and immunohistochemical diagnosis of Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.
Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc. 24(5):840-5 [DOI] 10.1177/1040638712452108. [PMID] 22786972.
2012
The Onset of Goiter in Several Species of Sharks Following the Addition of Ozone To a Touch Pool
. 43:621-624
2012
The onset of goiter in several species of sharks following the addition of ozone to a touch pool.
Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. 43(3):621-4 [PMID] 23082528.
2011
Nitrate-induced goiter in captive whitespotted bamboo sharks Chilosryllium plagiosum.
Journal of aquatic animal health. 23(2):92-9 [PMID] 21834332.
2006
Comparison of methods used to diagnose generalized inflammatory disease in manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. 37(2):151-9 [PMID] 17312794.
2004
Cryptobia iubilans infection in juvenile discus.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 224(10):1644-50, 1606 [PMID] 15154736.
2004
Pet fish care and husbandry.
The veterinary clinics of North America. Exotic animal practice. 7(2):397-419, vii [PMID] 15145396.
2003
Use of blood culture as a nonlethal method for isolating bacteria from fish.
Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. 34(2):206-7 [PMID] 12885142.
2002
Algal dermatitis in cichlids.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 220(9):1353-8, 1314 [PMID] 11991415.
2002
First isolation of largemouth bass virus.
Diseases of aquatic organisms. 50(3):233-5 [PMID] 12219979.
1999
Clinical examination of fish in private collections.
The veterinary clinics of North America. Exotic animal practice. 2(2):247-64 [PMID] 11228731.
1998
Goitre in a colony of African cichlids.
Journal of fish diseases. 21(2):139-143 [DOI] 10.1046/j.1365-2761.1998.00073.x. [PMID] 29739148.
1993
An epizootic of Edwardsiella tarda in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).
Journal of wildlife diseases. 29(2):334-6 [PMID] 8487385.
1993
Extra-label drug use in aquaculture.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 202(10):1651-4;discussion 1654 [PMID] 8514576.
1993
Lip fibromas associated with retrovirus-like particles in angel fish.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 202(3):427-9 [PMID] 8440638.
1989
Nitrite-induced anemia in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus rafinesque.
Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology. 43(2):295-301 [PMID] 2775896.
1988
Tropical fish medicine. Behavioral diagnosis.
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice. 18(2):305-16 [PMID] 3259751.
1987
Effect of water temperature on the clinical outcome of infection with Edwardsiella ictaluri in channel catfish.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 191(11):1413-6 [PMID] 3692982.
1986
Acute toxicity of saponified castor oil to channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, under laboratory and field conditions.
Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology. 37(2):297-302 [PMID] 3742085.

Grants

Jul 2022 ACTIVE
RAPID: Mass Mortality of the Keystone Herbivore Diadema antillarum Underway around the Caribbean Sea
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL SCIENCE FOU
Sep 2017 – Aug 2022
Comprehensive Aquaculture Veterinary Medicine Training for Veterinarians in Rural America
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: US DEPT OF AG NATL INST OF FOOD AND AG
Apr 2016 – Mar 2017
Diet composition of the African manatee: spatial and temporal variation within the downstream of Sanaga River watershed
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: UF FOUNDATION
Jul 2014 – Sep 2016
Development of Health Assessment Protocols for Hatchery-Reared Long-Spined Sea Urchins, Diadema antillarum
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: FL FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMM via US DEPT OF INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE SE

Education

Diplomate
1998 · American College of Zoological Medicine
MS – Veterinary Medical Science
1985 · Mississippi State University
DVM
1983 · University of Florida
BA – Biology
1979 · St. Olaf College

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(386) 643-8904
Emails:
Business:
rffloyd@ufl.edu
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO Box 110600
7922 NW 71ST ST
GAINESVILLE FL 32653
Business Street:
7922 NW 71ST ST RM 11 BLDG 544
GAINESVILLE FL 32653