My training and background is in microbial ecology and the use of molecular methods for microbial community analysis. My PhD investigated archaeal communities with emphasis on methanogenic archaea in Arctic wetlands and their response to soil water gradients and temperature. At AIMS I have worked with aquaculture-related microbiology projects primarily focused on microbial communities associated with wild and cultured larvae of the tropical rock lobster (Panulirus ornatus), their natural prey items, and their aquaculture environment. This work included the development of molecular tools for pathogen identification and monitoring, the biology and ecology of the newly described pathogen species Vibrio owensii, the elucidation of pathogenicity mechanisms of lobster larvae pathogens, and the development of alternative microbial management protocols including the use of seawater ozononation, probiotics, bacteriophage and quorum sensing inhibitors.
Current research is targeting the microbiology of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish and the development of microbial and molecular indicators of pollution.
Freckelton ML, Høj L, Bowden BF (2018) Quorum sensing interference and structural variation of quorum sensing mimics in Australian soft coral. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:198 doi:10.3389/fmars.2018.00198
Høj L, Levy N, Baillie BK, Clode PL, Strohmaier RC, Siboni N, Webster NS, Uthicke S, Bourne DG (2018) Crown-of-thorns sea star, Acanthaster cf. solaris, have tissue-characteristic microbiomes with potential roles in health and reproduction. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 84:e00181-18. doi:10.1128/AEM.00181-18
Malara D, Hoj L, Heimann K, Citarrella G, Oelgemoller M (2017) Capacity of cationic and anionic porphyrins to inactivate the potential aquaculture pathogen Vibrio campbellii. Aquaculture 473:228-236
Andreakis N, Høj L, Kearns P, Hall MR, Evans-Illidge E (2015) Hidden novel fungal diversity exposed through quantitative analysis of ITS barcodes from cultured marine isolates: the algorithm matters. PLoS ONE 10(8): e0136130
Espinoza-Valles I, Vora GJ, Lin B, Leekitcharoenphon P, Gonzalez-Castillo A, Ussery DW, Høj L, Gómez-Gil B (2015) Unique and conserved genome regions in Vibrio harveyi and related species in comparison with the shrimp pathogen Vibrio harveyi CAIM 1792. Microbiology doi: 10.1099/mic.0.000141
Cano-Gomez A, Høj L, Owens L, Baillie BK, Andreakis N (2015) A multiplex PCR-based protocol for identification and quantification of Vibrio harveyi-related species. Aquaculture 437: 195-200
Nguyen VD, Pham TT, Nguyen THT, Nguyen TTX, Høj L (2014) Screening of marine bacteria with bacteriocin-like activities and probiotic potential for ornate spiny lobster (Panulirus ornatus) juveniles. Fish and Shellfish Immunology 40: 49-60
Goulden EF, Hall MR, Pereg LL, Baillie BK, Høj L (2013) Probiont niche specialization contributes to additive protection against Vibrio owensii in spiny lobster larvae. Environ. Microbiol. Rep. 5 (1): 39-48
Goulden EF, Hall MR, Pereg LL, Høj L (2012) Identification of an Antagonistic Probiotic Combination Protecting Ornate Spiny Lobster (Panulirus ornatus) Larvae against Vibrio owensii Infection. PLoS ONE 7(7): e39667
Goulden EF, Hall MR, Bourne DG, Pereg LL, Høj L (2012) Pathogenicity and infection cycle of Vibrio owensii in larviculture of ornate spiny lobster (Panulirus ornatus). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 78(8):2841-2849
