Seafood Safety: High throughput diagnostics for ciguatoxin risk assessment

Funding: 2019: $43,000
2020: $44,000
2021: $54,000

Project Member(s): Murray, S.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Australian Research Council (ARC Linkage Projects)
Australian Research Council (ARC Linkage Projects)
NSW Department of Primary Industries
NSW Department of Primary Industries
Diagnostic Technology Pty Ltd (Diagnostic Technology contribution)
Diagnostic Technology Pty Ltd (Diagnostic Technology contribution)

Start year: 2019

Summary: This project aims to develop a novel, high throughput platform for rapidly assessing ciguatoxins and their producing microbial species. Ciguatoxins cause ciguatera fish poisoning, a growing and substantial risk for the $2.2 billion Australian commercial fishing industry. As an emerging issue linked to planetary health, this serious illness is increasingly impacting more southerly areas of Australia in relation to environmental changes. The outcomes of this project will be: new knowledge of the risk of ciguatoxins at Australian 'hot spot' sites, extensively field tested methods for detecting Gambierdiscus and ciguatoxins in situ, and key data to inform policy to safeguard the seafood industry and consumers.

Publications:

Hoppenrath, M, Kretzschmar, AL, Kaufmann, MJ & Murray, SA 2019, 'Morphological and molecular phylogenetic identification and record verification of Gambierdiscus excentricus (Dinophyceae) from Madeira Island (NE Atlantic Ocean)', Marine Biodiversity Records, vol. 12, no. 1.
View/Download from: Publisher's site

FOR Codes: Phycology (incl. Marine Grasses), Wild Caught Fin Fish (excl. Tuna)

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.