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New test tops up defences against deadly abalone virus
Date: Sunday, 6 September 2009
Western Australia’s Department of Fisheries is now better equipped in the battle to prevent the spread of the deadly abalone virus, which has seriously impacted Victoria’s most valuable commercial fishery and put Tasmania on high alert.
Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis (AVG) is a virulent herpes-like disease that affects the nervous tissue and is deadly to greenlip, hybrid and blacklip abalone. It causes inflammation of the nervous tissue, resulting in curling of the abalone’s foot and swelling of the mouth.
The virus has infected reefs along the Victorian coastline and has been confirmed in close proximity to the Victorian-South Australian border. In September last year an infected abalone was detected in Tasmania, but ongoing testing there has not found further cases.
Senior Fish Pathologist at the Department of Fisheries, Dr Brian Jones, said WA now had an important new laboratory test to identify the virus.
“The new test, developed in the National Animal Health Laboratory at Geelong in Victoria, enables local testing of suspect abalone in this State, which will be vital for responding to an outbreak if the worst should happen,” Dr Jones said.
“It adds to the range of steps we have taken to help keep this virus out of our wild stock abalone, such as the banning, earlier this year (June), of live abalone imports to Western Australia. We have even consulted with shipping companies that have operations with a high risk of transferring ballast water from sites in Victoria to WA.
“While it might seem that Victoria’s south west coast is a long way from here, we must be careful that AVG doesn’t arrive here and find its way into our valuable abalone fisheries.”
Western Australia’s commercial abalone industry is worth more than $12million annually and industry consultation and awareness programs have been underway here, since the virus was identified as a significant problem in Victoria’s abalone fishery.
Dr Jones said WA’s Department of Fisheries had been maintaining contact with other relevant State fisheries management agencies on procedures to deal with this issue.
“All risks have to be considered, which is why steps have been taken, but, we must remain vigilant and the new test we now have helps add to our defences,” he said.
“The new AVG TaqMan PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is a fast and accurate method, which uses DNA sequencing to identify the virus.”
Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis (AVG) is a virulent herpes-like disease that affects the nervous tissue and is deadly to greenlip, hybrid and blacklip abalone. It causes inflammation of the nervous tissue, resulting in curling of the abalone’s foot and swelling of the mouth.
The virus has infected reefs along the Victorian coastline and has been confirmed in close proximity to the Victorian-South Australian border. In September last year an infected abalone was detected in Tasmania, but ongoing testing there has not found further cases.
Senior Fish Pathologist at the Department of Fisheries, Dr Brian Jones, said WA now had an important new laboratory test to identify the virus.
“The new test, developed in the National Animal Health Laboratory at Geelong in Victoria, enables local testing of suspect abalone in this State, which will be vital for responding to an outbreak if the worst should happen,” Dr Jones said.
“It adds to the range of steps we have taken to help keep this virus out of our wild stock abalone, such as the banning, earlier this year (June), of live abalone imports to Western Australia. We have even consulted with shipping companies that have operations with a high risk of transferring ballast water from sites in Victoria to WA.
“While it might seem that Victoria’s south west coast is a long way from here, we must be careful that AVG doesn’t arrive here and find its way into our valuable abalone fisheries.”
Western Australia’s commercial abalone industry is worth more than $12million annually and industry consultation and awareness programs have been underway here, since the virus was identified as a significant problem in Victoria’s abalone fishery.
Dr Jones said WA’s Department of Fisheries had been maintaining contact with other relevant State fisheries management agencies on procedures to deal with this issue.
“All risks have to be considered, which is why steps have been taken, but, we must remain vigilant and the new test we now have helps add to our defences,” he said.
“The new AVG TaqMan PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is a fast and accurate method, which uses DNA sequencing to identify the virus.”
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