The lack of many recognised serious diseases is perceived as one of Australian aquaculture’s prime competitive advantages to meet future global demand. Maintenance of this high health status through initiatives which reduce the risk of disease incursions and facilitate early detection and response to emerging disease problems is seen as critical to continuing industry expansion. The range of commercially significant aquatic animal species, and their diseases, is increasing steadily. It is clear that, due to limited resources, diagnostic laboratories cannot develop proficiency in the diagnosis of all significant diseases, for example those listed in the Australian National List of Reportable Diseases of Aquatic Animals. Appropriately, State laboratories, in support of local industries, concern themselves with local aquatic animal species and their significant diseases and have developed expertise in those areas. Rather than duplicate this effort, AAHL’s involvement and expertise focuses on exotic diseases of concern to Australia, as well as new or emerging endemic diseases. As a consequence, expertise in specific diseases has developed in different laboratories throughout the country. To take advantage of this development, to ensure that expertise in different diseases is available Australia-wide, and to create a consistent system of aquatic animal disease diagnosis and reporting, it is proposed that a national network of laboratories should be established for the diagnosis and monitoring of aquatic animal diseases underpinned by a formal quality assurance program. Through a consultation process, uniform data standards and reporting formats need to be developed and adopted by all jurisdictions. Standard diagnostic tests and operating procedures also need to be developed and subsequently adopted by laboratories within the network. Thus this project is concerned with the establishment of the network and commencement of activities, including proficiency tests (“ring tests”) designed to assist laboratories in further developing their diagnostic capabilities and/or to allow demonstration that performance of a particular test is at a nationally accepted standard, using Australian and New Zealand Standard Diagnostic Procedures (ANZSDPs). In this way confidence of stakeholders in the quality of diagnosis provided is increased. The project is in complete alignment with AQUAPLAN 2005-2010.

Relationship to R&D plans and strategies
In the May 2000 Budget, the Federal Government announced its Building a National Approach to Animal and Plant Health program to maintain Australia’s status as a source of high quality agricultural produce with work on aquatic animal health to be funded via AFFA through the FRDC Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram. Following stakeholder consultations, seven projects focusing on the development of improved diagnostic methods for diseases of fish, crustaceans and molluscs were funded under this Subprogram. The Subprogram recently requested advice from aquatic animal health specialists in Australia on priority suggestions for the remaining uncommitted funds. The ‘Maintenance of reagent stocks for diagnosis of important diseases e.g. EHN’ was identified by this forum as one of a number of high priority issues and subsequently forwarded to the Subprogram. The Subprogram’s Steering Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee supported this and other suggestions because of their national significance. This application is made in response to this need.

Pragmatic need
The International Reference Laboratory for EHNV provides research and diagnostic referral services to fish health laboratories in Australia and other countries. Reagents have been supplied upon request for more than 10 years. Research on protocols for improved viral detection and differentiation from related viruses is ongoing, and has been published in high quality journals. These protocols are supplied, together with reference reagents, to any diagnostic laboratory upon request. As many of these original antibody reagents were prepared in 1989-1992, they are deemed likely to be near the end of their shelf life, or stocks of quality-controlled batches are almost exhausted. Furthermore, new protocols have recently been developed using modern tools of molecular biology (Marsh et al 2002 rapid differentiation of Australian, European and American ranaviruses based on variation in major capsid protein gene sequence. Mol.Cell. Probes 16:137-151). For routine use these require development of new reagents, for example standardized DNA solutions.

This project is an operation to replenish stocks of reagents for existing tests and to create stocks for the more newly developed tests and as such is a one-off request. In future we aim to meet costs by charging for supply of reagents, something that OIE Fish Diseases Commission has agreed may be necessary to support reference laboratory activities. Stocks of antibody reagents produced in this project are likely to be viable and sufficient for 15 years assuming freeze drying is successful and current levels of demand, but this will also be dependent on future demand, which is not easily predicted.