Prof. Travis Beddoe1
1La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
Livestock production around the world is impacted by liver fluke (Fasciola spp.) infection resulting in serious economic losses. Triclabendazole (TCBZ) is the most effective anthelmintic treatment available to control liver fluke infections; however, the widespread emergence of TCBZ resistance in livestock threatens liver fluke control. Alternative control measures to lower the exposure of livestock to liver fluke infection would help to preserve the usefulness of current anthelmintic treatments. Environmental DNA based identification of liver fluke and the intermediate snail host in the water bodies is a robust method to assess the risk of liver fluke infection on farms. We developed a multiplex quantitative PCR assay of water samples to detect and quantify the eDNA of Fasciola hepatica and Austropeplea tomentosa, a crucial intermediate snail host for liver fluke transmission in Australia. Water samples were collected from an irrigation channel for a period of 7 months in 2016 at a dairy farm located in Victoria. Differential levels of liver fluke and snail-specific eDNA in water were observed at the time points analysed in this study. The successful detection of eDNA specific to liver fluke and snails from the field-collected water samples provides a precedent for the use of this method as a monitoring tool to determine the prevalence of liver fluke and liver fluke-transmitting snails in irrigation regions. Further, this method has the enormous potential to allow an assessment of the liver fluke transmission zones on farms and to inform the application of effective control strategies.
Biography:
I am a multidisciplinary scientist, training initially as a plant biochemist before studying molecular chaperones in mitochondrial targeting as a PhD student and eventually training in biophysical and structural biology in immune receptors as a postdoctoral researcher. I started my independent research career at Monash University with an NHMRC CDA fellowship in the area of glycan specificity in bacterial pathogenesis and physiology. I changed research fields when I was recruited to La Trobe University in 2014 as a senior lecturer to establish the Agriculture Biosolutions laboratory.
The Agriculture Bio-Solutions Lab has access to state-of-the-art facilities for studying host-pathogen interactions in livestock. Pathogen control programs based solely on the use of anti-microbial drugs are no longer considered sustainable because of an increased prevalence of bacterial resistance, high costs and concerns regarding residues in the food and environment. To provide improved sustainable health and welfare outcomes in livestock production, the Agriculture Bio-solutions lab has developed a complete “Bench to Barn” research program focusing on 1) field-deployable diagnostics, 2) molecular understanding of disease pathogenesis 3) sustainable treatment solution (vaccines and breeding).