CSIRO Livestock Industries

Australian Animal Health Laboratory

Helping to protect Australia from the threat of exotic and emerging animal diseases

Australian Animal Health Laboratory Scientific research

AAHL plays a vital role in maintaining Australia’s capability to quickly diagnose animal diseases which threaten Australia’s livestock, aquaculture species, wildlife and humans. It is one of the most advanced laboratories in the world in terms of providing world-class animal health diagnostic services.

AAHL was specifically designed to confidently contain disease agents dangerous to Australia’s livestock and wildlife so that Australia may have a place where the diseases can be safely diagnosed and studied.

The Laboratory is able to operate at the highest biosecurity level – Biosecurity Level 4 (BSL4) – allowing staff to safely research and contain the most infectious and pathogenic disease agents known, including those posing a risk to humans as well as animals.

AAHL continues to be a partner in numerous research collaborations, both nationally and internationally, and participates in a number of significant international and national networks, including the Laboratories for Emergency Animal Disease Diagnosis and Response’ (LEADDR) initiative. This initiative aims to develop a national network of coordinated laboratories to assist each other during large-scale testing during a disease outbreak in Australia’s livestock industries. The Laboratory is also actively involved in the National Animal Health Laboratory Strategy (NAHLS), where the overall aim is to develop and deliver a national animal health laboratory service capability for the effective control of animal diseases of major importance to Australia.

AAHL undertakes research to develop new diagnostic tests, vaccines and treatments for exotic and endemic animal diseases of national importance. Major diseases of livestock, aquatic animals and wildlife are studied.

The main areas of science undertaken at AAHL include:

• Diagnosis, Surveillance and Response (DSR)

• Transforming Animal Biosecurity

In recent years AAHL has increasingly become involved in the area of ‘One Health’, in particular research with zoonotic diseases – those that can affect animals and humans. The concept of ‘One Health’ is a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for animals, humans and the environment.

Since AAHL’s establishment, the Laboratory has been at the forefront of the discovery and control of several of the most significant emerging zoonotic diseases of the last decade. In 1994 AAHL identified what proved to be a new virus that had not been reported anywhere else in the world – Hendra virus. The facility also played a major part in eradicating Nipah virus – a close relative of Hendra virus – from Malaysia and in discovering that bats are the animal reservoir of SARS-like coronaviruses.

AAHL values policy advice, input and feedback it receives from Australia’s industry through representatives on the AAHL Industry Forum.

The Laboratory is recognised internationally as:

• a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza (AI), Nipah and Hendra virus diseases, Newcastle disease, Bluetongue disease, Epizootic Haematopoietic Necrosis virus and Yellowhead disease

• an OIE Collaborative Centre for New and Emerging Diseases

• an OIE Collaborating Centre for Capacity Building for Veterinary Laboratories

• a World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus

• a Regional Reference Centre for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

• an Australian National Reference Laboratory for Rabies and Brucella

AAHL scientists working at BSL4

CSIRO Livestock Industries’ Australian Animal Health Laboratory

(AAHL) is a National Facility and front line defence, helping to protect

Australia from the threat of exotic and emerging animal diseases.

AAHL researcher performing tests for avian influenza within the high biocontainment area at AAHL

Diagnosis of animal disease International activities

The diagnostic skills and knowledge of AAHL staff form an important component of Australia’s preparedness to deal with an emergency animal disease outbreak. Australia is free from many animal and fish diseases that occur in other countries such as foot and mouth disease (FMD), AI, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE - mad cow disease) and the deadly infectious fish disease Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia.

Despite Australia’s strict quarantine laws there is still a risk that exotic animal diseases could be introduced into Australia, potentially causing disease in humans and many animals, threatening our unique fauna and costing the economy millions of dollars through loss of trade, loss of tourism and other costs associated with recovery from an outbreak.

AAHL’s role is of crucial importance in allowing such diseases to be ruled out, or alternatively in ensuring control strategies can be implemented quickly.

For example, in 2007 AAHL played a vital role in the immediate response, involving Federal and State Governments and industry organisations, to contain and eradicate the exotic animal disease equine influenza (EI). AAHL’s ability to rapidly and accurately diagnose the highly contagious horse disease assisted Australia in achieving an “EI free” status.

AAHL’s sensitive, accurate and rapid diagnostic tests are managed under a quality assurance system certified to the ISO/IEC 9001:2000 and ISO/IEC 14001:2004 standards and accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) to the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard.

Quality assured diagnostic tests are critical to the success of control and eradication of a disease outbreak. AAHL receives diagnostic samples from across Australia and throughout

AAHL supports neighbouring countries to better manage their own threats from endemic and exotic disease.

Through implementation of the AAHL Regional Program, the DSR group transfers and supports diagnostic technology, and enhances the capability for surveillance of and response to emerging and exotic animal diseases.

This Program is building capacity and skills in disease diagnosis in Southeast Asian laboratories, boosting the ability of countries in the region to manage and stamp out infectious animal diseases.

This support not only reduces the disease risks to the countries themselves but, also assists the preparedness of Australian biosecurity through better threat assessment and management.

The AAHL Regional Program focuses on three animal diseases exotic to Australia: FMD, classical swine fever and highly pathogenic avian influenza. The Program is funded by the Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program – AusAID – and multilateral agencies such as OIE and FAO.

the Southeast Asian region. Helping to control transboundary animal diseases in the region is an important part of AAHL’s contribution to a national surveillance strategy.

AAHL researchers are continually improving the diagnosis of infectious animal diseases through the introduction of innovative technologies, such as robotics and rapid diagnostic equipment to reduce the time needed to provide a test result.

AAHL has an active technology transfer program within Australia and overseas

An artificially coloured transmission electron micrograph of Hendra virus. Image prepared by the AAHL Biosecurity Microscopy Facility

World class biocontainment

AAHL is primarily a high biocontainment facility, to safely fulfill its major role of diagnosing emergency animal disease outbreaks. AAHL was custom-built to ensure the containment of the most infectious agents known. A guiding principle in the design and operation of AAHL’s high-biocontainment facility is that biocontainment should never be by a single barrier. If one containment system or barrier fails, then at least one other system is in place.

All physical containment systems are duplicated, and all essential systems, such as electricity generators, steam and compressed air plants, are triplicated. AAHL’s main building has five floors, of which four are inside the secure barrier - a thick concrete wall that forms an airtight ‘box’ around the secure area

(see diagram). All of this area is held at lower air pressure to the outside world, to keep any airborne infectious agent inside the laboratory. Within the secure box are a series of smaller secure boxes, each with a drop in air pressure maintained by airlocks and a sophisticated air handling system.

Everything leaving the biocontainment area of AAHL must be decontaminated and monitored. The air is filtered to remove infectious aerosols, all sewage is heat-treated and solid waste is incinerated. Equipment leaving the secure area is sterilised by autoclave heat or gas decontamination and information must be transmitted outside by fax or computer network. Staff must take a compulsory shower out of infected animal rooms and the secure

area, leaving their clothing inside to be washed within the secure facility. Once

outside the secure area, as an added precaution, staff must not have contact with livestock, birds or fish for seven days.

AAHL’s microbiological security is continuously assessed by various internal and external bodies including the AAHL Security Assessment Group (ASAG). This group is made up of 10 experts external to AAHL. Reporting to senior CSIRO management, it fulfills an independent auditing and monitoring function. AAHL maintains world class infrastructure due to the continuous upgrading that has been undertaken by CSIRO as part of National Facility management.

AAHL’s main building has five floors, of which four are inside the secure barrier - a thick concrete wall that forms an airtight ‘box’ around the secure area

AAHL researcher within the Small Animal Facility (SAF) at AAHL

Commercial achievements

AAHL develops and operates partnerships with commercial companies that have experience in animal health product development and marketing.

This ensures research results are converted into products, such as vaccines or treatments, which are accessible to Australian animal industries and the broader community.

The facility aims to secure a fair dividend from the investment of public funds in CSIRO’s research, which can be reinvested in scientific research. Examples

of successfully commercialised products based on AAHL research include:

Vaxxitek® HVT+IBD vaccine – the poultry industry’s first one-dose, hatchery vaccination specifically designed to protect against Classic, Variant or vvIBD strains of Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD), available through Merial

• Fowlpox # 2 Vaccine – a vaccine developed to protect poultry from fowlpox, available through Intervet Australia

• Bovigam™ - a tuberculosis test for cattle, available through Prionics

• QuantiFERON® - a tuberculosis test for humans, available through Cellestis

• ILT A20 vaccine, to prevent infectious laryngotracheitis in Australian chickens, is available through Fort Dodge and Websters

• ELISA tests for detecting naturally occurring toxins in foods - available through the Academy of Grain Technology

• The Digital Imaging Network – a system to link disease experts in the field and laboratory commercialised through Australian software company Arcitecta Pty Ltd

• Bovilis MH™ - a vaccine to control respiratory disease in feedlot cattle commercialised through Intervet Australia.

AAHL has collaborative research and development agreements for new vaccines, therapeutic and diagnostic products with eight of the world’s top 20 veterinary pharmaceutical companies.

AAHL also conducts testing for private clients to help meet quarantine requirements for animals and animal based products and sells specialised diagnostic reagents to commercial companies and overseas laboratories.

An artificially coloured transmission electron micrograph of equine influenza. Image prepared by the AAHL Biosecurity Microscopy Facility

Contact details

CSIRO Livestock Industries Australian Animal Health Laboratory

5 Portarlington RoadEast GeelongVictoria 3219 AustraliaPhone: +61 3 5227 5000Fax: +61 3 5227 5555Web: www.csiro.au/aahl

Dr Martyn Jeggo Director AAHLPhone +61 3 5227 5511Email: Martyn.Jeggo@csiro.au

Dr Peter DanielsAssistant Director and Theme Leader -Diagnosis, Surveillance and ResponsePhone: +61 3 5227 5014Email: Peter.Daniels@csiro.au

Dr Linfa WangCSIRO CEO Science LeaderPhone: +61 3 5227 5121Email: Linfa.Wang@csiro.au

Dr Jay CzarneckiBusiness Development ManagerPhone: +61 3 5227 5603Email: Jay.Czarnecki@csiro.au

Emma WilkinsCommunications AdvisorPhone: +61 3 5227 5123Email: Emma.Wilkins@csiro.au

Funding

AAHL is funded by the Australian Federal Government, via CSIRO and the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).

Additional funding is being provided from the Australian Government Department of Innovation,

Industry, Science and Research under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)initiative. The Laboratory receives research funding from the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) programs, industry organisations and commercial companies. AAHL also attracts funding from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, Australia’s livestock and aquaculture industries and associated research and development corporations.

Advice

AAHL provides expert advice on many aspects of animal disease to International, Commonwealth and State Government agencies, industry bodies and the private sector.

Training and education

Australia’s ability to detect a foreign disease incursion is enhanced through training and education of Australian veterinarians, farmers and diagnosticians. AAHL holds regular veterinary training courses.