2015 ADW report - National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Network

Workshop Report
17th-18th February 2015
Summary of the Annual Diagnosticians’ Workshop 2015
The Subcommittee on Plant Health Diagnostics (SPHD) hosted the Annual Diagnosticians’ Workshop 2015
(ADW2015) in Canberra on the 17th and 18th of February 2015, with training workshops for aphid vector
identification and insect transmitted viruses run in conjunction (Table 1). The more than 60 participants in the
workshops included diagnosticians from Commonwealth and state providers of diagnostic services, CSIRO,
the Plant Biosecurity CRC (PBCRC), Plant Health Australia (PHA), Sugar Research Australia (SRA), New
Zealand Plant and Food Research (NZ PFR), New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (NZ MPI) and
Scion Research (Appendix 1 – ADW2015 attendees, page 7).
Table 1. Overview of activities relating to the ADW2015
Date
Mon, 16th Feb
Tue, 17th Feb
Wed, 18th Feb
Thu, 19th Feb
Activity
Aphid Identification Workshop
ADW2014
Insect-Transmitted Virus Workshop
An introduction to the identification of
aphid vectors
Presentations detailed in
Table 3.
An introduction to the identification of
insect-transmitted viruses and their
vectors and the modes of
transmission
Activities at the ADW2015 aligned with the theme of the associated training workshops, which was vectored
plant pathogens, particularly aphids as the vector and viruses as the pathogen. The workshops aimed to
deliver both professional development and networking outcomes. The key activities included:




Keynote presentations on New Zealand’s experience with Zebra Chip, complex vector-pathogen
interactions and aphid-virus interactions under a changing climate.
Network members reported on their Laboratory Residential program experiences.
MasterPest – an interactive diagnostic simulation.
Professional development review and prioritisation input for network members.
The outcomes from the ADW2015 (Table 2) continued to demonstrate its great value for the National Plant
Biosecurity Diagnostic Network (NPBDN), and the strong support for it as a standing event on the NPBDN
calendar.
Table 2. Key outcomes of the ADW2015
No.
Outcome
1
New faces attended the workshop and engaged in NPBDN activities, broadening the benefit
2
Improved understanding of vector-pathogen interactions and diagnostics
3
The benefits of utilising the NPBDN to complete identifications highlighted
4
Laboratory Residential program and NDP value emphasised and support for their continuation received
5
Consolidation of the awareness of NPBDN goals and activities
6
Professional development approach for diagnosticians as facilitated by SPHD validated
7
NPBDN members shared ideas and knowledge
Acknowledgements
The ADW2015 and associated training would not have been possible without support (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Individuals and organisations that supported the delivery of the ADW2015
About the ADW and the report
ADWs are an initiative of the Subcommittee on Plant Health Diagnostics (SPHD) and a recommendation
from the National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Strategy. These workshops improve Australia’s plant pest
diagnostic capability and capacity through encouraging the sharing of expertise and the delivery of targeted
training.
This report provides a summary of the ADW2015 for NPBDN members. It is not a comprehensive record of
activities, and anyone looking for further information should contact the Executive Officer of the NPBDN at
SPHDS@agriculture.gov.au.
Figure 2. Participants at the ADW2015
ADW2015 sessions
ADW2015 activities aligned with the aphid-vectored virus theme of the associated training workshops. Table
3 outlines the sessions and the key points recorded from each. Copies of the presentations are available on
the NPBDN website1.
Table 3. Summary of ADW2015 activities
Session
Presentation
Key note
presentations –
Vector/pathogen
interactions
Candidatus Liberibacter
solanacearum: discovery,
diagnostics and biology
Grant Smith
Pine trees, fungi, beetles,
nematodes, bacteria,
humans and everything
else: A Mad-hatter’s tea
party
Mike Hodda
Aphid-virus interactions
in a changing climate
Piotr Trębicki
MasterPest
Mike Hodda
Stephen Dibley, Sophie
Peterson, Douglas
Kerruish, Ryan Genero,
Natalie O’Donnell and
Sally Troy
1
Key points
 Initial identification in New Zealand was an elimination process
 New technologies available today, such as next generation
sequencing, have improved the diagnostic process
 Zebra chip symptoms and diagnostics proved different between
the USA and New Zealand
 Bioinformatics-informed differential diagnostics process required
to identify haplotypes
 A number of (mostly) hypothetical protein diagnostic regions may
be targeting biological differences in the solanaceous-infecting
variants
 These regions may form the basis of specific differential subspecies assays for both the solanaceous and apiaceous-infecting
variants
 The current best research assay is the semi-nested qPCR
 Pine wilt disease provides a complex story of pest and vector
interactions
 The disease is known to involve beetles, nematodes, fungi and
bacteria, and can be vectored by humans
 The beetle transports the nematode and fungus and feeds on the
tree itself
 The nematode transports the bacterium and feeds on the tree
itself
 The fungus supports the nematode when it is not feeding on the
tree
 The bacterium kills the tree
 The benefit to cost ratio for eradication is 1000:1
 Compared persistent and non-persistent modes of insectmediated virus transmission and the analysis by Electrical
penetration graph
 Elevated CO2 tests indicated:
o Increased biomass of non-infected wheat plants
o No impact on aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) development
o Aphid fecundity reduced and feeding time increased, but not
when plants infected by Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV)
o BYDV infected plants show earlier symptom development,
higher virus concentrations, delayed development and yield
losses
 Interactive activity where participants worked in small groups to
work through a diagnostic process to identify vectors and
pathogens using selected inputs provided by the facilitators
 Demonstrated the advantages of an interdisciplinary approach to
diagnostics
Available to NPBDN members at http://plantbiosecuritydiagnostics.net.au/annual-diagnosticians-workshop-2015
Session
Presentation
Laboratory
Residential
Program reports
Whitefly diagnostics
Sally Cowan
Aphid diagnostics
Cameron Brumley
Host laboratory
experience
Peter Gillespie
Pathogen high
throughput testing
Aaron Maxwell
Collections manager
exchange
Karren Cowan
LChV-2 genomics
Alison Dann
Professional
development
Professional
development framework
and what has been done
since ADW2012
Leigh Pilkington
ADDf – Heteroptera and
Cerambycines
workshops
Luke Watson
Key points
 Hosted by NSW DPI at Orange
 Improved identifications for five Aleyrodidae on the NAQS target
list
 Improved processing and collection management techniques for
NAQS




Hosted by the Canadian National Collection of Insects
First-hand experience with international expert on Aphidae
Acquired slide samples of high priority Aphidae pests
Preservation of Aphidae samples
 NSW DPI has hosted a number successful applicants
 Hosting an exchange provides recognition of scientific expertise &
skills, education for both parties and are fun
 Preparation and organisation are important
 A viable science exchange and provide a valuable hands on
experiences in a “non-home” environment
 Field based exchanges should be strongly considered
 Hosted by University of British Columbia
 TAIGA (Tree Aggressors Identification using Genomic
Approaches) has the potential to improve sensitivity and
specificity, discover unknowns, increase throughput with use of
arrays and target multiple pathogens for application to Australian
biosecurity
 Practical experience with spore traps for disease monitoring and
detection
 Hosted by Queensland DAF
 Generated closer ties between the two herbariums facilitated the
exchange of ideas and techniques
 Cultures swapped for long term storage into DAR & BRIP
collections
 Bacterial cultures being incorporated into the DAR collection
 Hosted by Vic DEDJTR
 Improved next generation sequencing and bioinformatics
knowledge
 Provided experience in a NATA accredited laboratory
 Provided further research and understanding of LChV-2 to utilise
in own laboratory
 Professional development activities facilitated by SPHD since
ADW2012 include:
o General workshops
o Specialised training
o Laboratory Residentials
o Mentoring projects
 A multi-year plan for ongoing diagnostician professional
development has been developed
 Advanced Diagnosticians’ Development framework (ADDf) has a
focus on specialised training for a small group over a number of
years
 There is an expectation that participants provide training to others
back in their jurisdictions
 Announced upcoming Heteroptera ADDf training
Session
Presentation
Bacteriology mentoring
project
Toni Chapman
Colletotrichum
workshops
Roger Shivas
NPBDN
developments
National Diagnostic
Protocols – an
explanation
Barbara Hall
NPBDN report
Douglas Kerruish
New developments from
the NPBDN
Deborah Hailstones
Key points
 Bacteriology is an overlap between biology, the interaction with
the host, the environment and the base genome responsible for
the biology
 The upcoming project will investigate new technologies to identify
these phytobacteria using new technologies such as PhyloSift,
whole genome sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing
 Focus is on Xanthomonas spp.
 Two complementary workshops will take a morphological and
molecular approach to species identification
 Brisbane workshop in July to cover isolation, morphology and
taxonomy
 Perth workshop in September to cover phylogenetic analysis
 NDPs provide an unambiguous taxonomic identification of a plant
pest and allow transparency when comparing diagnostic results
between laboratories
 Endorsed NDPs and protocols up for review is available on the
NPBDN website
 Highlighted some of the history and background to the NPBDN
 Described key benefits of a nationally integrated diagnostic
network
 Described current progress of the NPBDN and future challenges
 Wrap up and summary of workshop
 Round three of the Laboratory Residential program was opened
for applications
 The NPNDN belongs to its members and encouraged members
to make it their own
Appendix 1 – ADW2015 attendees
Table 4. NPBDN members who attended the ADW2015
Name
Organisation
Name
Organisation
Aaron Maxwell
Aust. Government
Luke Watson
Aust. Government
Alison Dann
TAS DPIPWE
Mallik Malipatil
VIC DEDJTR
Andrew Manners
QLD DAF
Mark Blacket
VIC DEDJTR
Barbara Hall
SARDI
Mary-Ann Terras
NSW DPI
Belinda Gresham
Scion Research
Marzena Krysinska-Kaczmarek
SARDI
Boris Lomov
Aust. Government
Michael Gorton
Aust. Government
Brenda Coutts
DAFWA
Mike Hodda
CSIRO
Brendan Rodoni
VIC DEDJTR
Mohammad Aftab
VIC DEDJTR
Brian Thistleton
NT DPIF
Monica Kehoe
DAFWA
Cameron Brumley
DAFWA
Natalie O'Donnell
PHA
Champa Rajapakse
Aust. Government
Nicole Thompson
SRA
Chris Bloomfield
NSW DPI
Nihara Gunawardene
DAFWA
Danuta Knihinicki
NSW DPI
Peter Cross
TAS DPIPWE
Dean Beasley
QLD DAF
Peter Gillespie
NSW DPI
Deb Hailstones
NSW DPI
Piotr Trebicki
VIC DEDJTR
Douglas Kerruish
Aust. Government
Quang Dinh
VIC DEDJTR
Elizabeth Wilson
SRA
Ramez Aldaoud
VIC DEDJTR
Fiona Constable
VIC DEDJTR
Richard Davis
Aust. Government
Graham Teakle
Aust. Government
Robert Holmes
VIC DEDJTR
Grant Smith
PBCRC/NZ PFR
Roger Shivas
QLD DAF
Helen DeGraaf
SARDI
Ryan Genero
Aust. Government
Holger Loecker
NSW DPI
Sally Cowan
Aust. Government
Ian Naumann
Aust. Government
Siva Subramaniam
QLD DAF
Jamie Davies
TAS DPIPWE
Sophie Peterson
PBCRC
Jane Royer
QLD DAF
Srikanthi de Alwis
VIC DEDJTR
John Thomas
QLD DAF
Stephen Dibley
PHA
Karren Cowan
NSW DPI
Sue Pederick
SARDI
Kathy Thomson
QLD DAF
Toni Chapman
NSW DPI
Kathy Braithwaite
SRA
Tracey Smith
Aust. Government
Leigh Pilkington
NSW DPI
Zara Hall
QLD DAF
Linda Semeraro
VIC DEDJTR
Zoila Perez-Egusquiza
NZ MPI