Conference Agenda

Lucilia cuprina dorsalis is a parasitic blowfly that causes flystrike (myiasis) in many countries worldwide. In Australasia alone, flystrike costs in excess of $320 million each year resulting from production losses and costs of control that rely heavily on the use of insecticides. As a result, resistance in blowfly to almost all insecticides in current use will require the development of further intervention strategies. In contrast, the closely related subspecies, Lucilia cuprina cuprina, is primarily found in urban areas and exhibits limited parasitic behavior. In the present study, the nuclear genomes of Lucilia cuprina dorsalis (Australia) and Lucilia cuprina cuprina (USA) were sequenced and annotated. Comparative genomic analyses revealed important differences in blowfly biology, host interactions and insecticide resistance between the two subspecies. This comparative data will form the basis for downstream analyses investigating novel blowfly specific gene targets for the design of new methods for improved control of flystrike.

Haemaphysalis longicornis is an important vector of several bacterial, protozoal and viral pathogens, and is distributed in Australasia, eastern Asia and the USA. We systematically reviewed the literature on the microbiome of H. longicornis using PRISMA guidelines, with an inclusion criterion focused on studies employing next-generation sequencing techniques. We identified 46 studies from four databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and CAB Direct) published from six countries. These studies primarily characterised the bacterial components of the tick microbiome, detecting potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Anaplasma, Borrelia, Bartonella, Coxiella, Ehrlichia, Francisella, and Rickettsia as well as endosymbionts, including Arsenophonus-like, Coxiella-like and Rickettsia-like organisms. The virome studies revealed a diverse array of novel viruses, enhancing our understanding of the viral diversity within this tick species. Moreover, few studies have reported significant changes in the microbiome composition due to tick life stage, feeding status and infection. Our findings suggest that the microbiome of H. longicornis plays a potential role in the tick’s life cycle and its vectorial capability. Future investigations should encompass the “non-pathogen” microbiome components of H. longicornis to understand their role in tick biology and the transmission of pathogens to develop sustainable strategies for controlling ticks and tick-borne diseases.

Sarcoptic mange is a serious animal welfare concern in bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus). While fluralaner is a promising new treatment, the ‘spot-on’ formulation of fluralaner can limit in-situ treatment delivery. Dilution to a volume for ‘pour-on’ delivery is one solution. This study investigated the acaricidal activity of Bravecto, a proposed essential oil-based diluent (Orange Power®), and two of its active constituents, limonene and citral, against Sarcoptes scabiei. In vitro assays determined the lethal concentration (LC₅₀) and survival time of the mites when exposed to test solutions. All compounds were highly effective at killing mites in vitro. The LC₅₀ values of Bravecto, Orange Power, limonene and citral at 1 hour were 14.61 mg/mL, 4.50%, 26.53% and 0.76%, respectively. A pilot survival assay of mites collected from a mange affected wombat showed survival times of <10 minutes when exposed to Bravecto and Orange Power, and 20 minutes when exposed to moxidectin. These results confirm the acaricidal properties of Bravecto, demonstrate acaricidal properties of Orange Power and support the potential suitability of Orange Power and its active constituents as a diluent for Bravecto. Further research evaluating the physiochemical properties and modes of action of Orange Power constituents would be of value.