Antonette Walford1, Professor Dianne Gleeson2, Brendan Rodoni1
1Agriculture Victoria, Australia, 2University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
Biography:
Antonette has been a biosecurity entomologist for over 16 years, beginning her career in the Department of Fisheries and Forestry before moving to the Chief Plant Health Officer Branch within Agriculture Victoria in 2019. Her current role involves the triage and assessment of public reports of suspect plant pests as well as providing technical and policy advice on pest risks pathways and exotic pest detections. In the last few years, she has been involved and interested in the emergence of environmental DNA in biosecurity settings and is passionate about driving its application in biosecurity surveillance.
Abstract:
The rapid development of environmental DNA (eDNA) technologies to enable environmental, human and animal health monitoring has seen eDNA-based surveillance used alongside traditional methods to detect pests in marine ecosystems, infectious pathogens in wastewater, and monitoring biodiversity in Australia.
Research-to-date indicates that eDNA holds promising potential as a complimentary tool to existing surveillance methods for early detection of exotic pests and diseases. Robust frameworks are needed to enable the adoption of this tool, facilitating the assessment of efficacy and feasibility. Research is currently being developed to examine the implementation of eDNA sampling as a complementary tool alongside traditional biosecurity surveillance methods. This will involve exploring potential applications of eDNA sampling in various contexts, including apiary surveillance for varroa mite, phylloxera monitoring to support trade through area freedom, and exclusion of khapra beetle through proof-of-freedom surveillance in grains. The aim is to enhance surveillance data and establish an early detection system for exotic pests. The project will entail collecting and analysing eDNA sampling data to provide proof of concept for the use of eDNA as a surveillance tool for the early detection of invasive pests. This will assist in eradication and management programs, while also providing valuable data on the spread and movement of newly introduced pests, such as the varroa mite, to improve management plans. Furthermore, the project will provide and compare eDNA sampling data against existing standard surveillance methods to evaluate their effectiveness for use in early detection of exotic pests, with the goal of facilitating expanded implementation.