PARASITES on PARADE at the 2Nd Annual Conference of the ASP and ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology

ABN 65 979 686 445 Volume 18 Issue 1 Print Post Approved PP 255003/08218 April 2007 http://www.parasite.org.au/

PARASITES ON PARADE at the 2nd Annual Conference of the ASP and ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology

Images: Eimeria trichosuris (N. Hill), Cryptosporidium parvum (B. Ferrari), Haemonchus contortus (M. Power) Amblyomma limbatum (I. Vilcins) Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 1 COUNCIL OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY FOR PARASITOLOGY INC.

Executive

President: Malcolm JONES Executive Secretary: Danielle SMYTH Treasurer: Deborah STENZEL Molecular Parasitology Laboratory Division of Infectious Diseases & Immunol- Analytical Electron Microscope Facility QIMR ogy Queensland University of Technology Herston QLD 4006 Queensland Institute of Medical Research GPO Box 2434 Brisbane , QLD 4001 Tel: 07 3362 0406 300 Herston Rd., Brisbane, QLD 4006 Tel (07) 3138 5036 Tel (07) 3845 3726 Fax: (07) 3138 5100 Fax: 07 3362 0104 Fax: (07) 3845 3507 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Vice-President: President-elect David PIEDRAFITA Shelley WALTON Other Members IJP Editor: Brendan CRABB Physiology Department, Infectious Diseases Division The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Monash University Wellington Rd Menzies School of Health Research Medical Research Clayton VIC 3800 PO Box 41096 Casuarina 1G Royal Parade Tel : (03) 9905 2593 Darwin NT 0811 Parkville Victoria 3050 Fax: (03) 9905 2547 Tel: (08) 8922 8928 Fax: (08) 8927 5187 Tel: (03) 9345 2469 Email: Email: [email protected] Fax: (03) 9347 0852 [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Archivist: Carolyn BEHM School of Biochemistry and Molecular State Councillors Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 ACT: Julie-Anne FRITZ SA: Nathan BOTT Tel: 02 6125 2203 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Molecular Diagnostics Fax: 02 6125 0313 Australian National University South Australian Research and Develop- Email: [email protected] Canberra ACT 0200 ment Institute

Tel: 02 6125 4941 GPO Box 397, Adelaide, SA 5001 Newsletter Editor: Michelle POWER Fax: 02 6125 0313 Tel (08) 8303 9387 Biological Sciences Email: [email protected] Fax: (08) 8303 9393 Macquarie University Email: [email protected] North Ryde, NSW 2109 NSW: Kate MILLER Tel (02) 9850 6974 Institute for the Biotechnology of Infec- Tas: Carly BAGLEY Fax (02) 9850 8245 tious Diseases School of Aquacultue [email protected] University of Technology, Sydney University of Tasmania

PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007 Launceston TAS Webmaster: Mark SANDEMAN Tel: (02) 9514 4127 Tel: 03 63 245465 Department of Agricultural Sciences FAX: (02) 9514 4201 Fax: 03 6324 3658 La Trobe University Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Bundoora, Victoria, 3086

Tel (03) 9479 2164 NT: Deborah HOLT Vic: Jody ZAWADZKI Fax: (03) 9471 0224 Infectious Diseases Division Primary Industries Research Victoria Email: [email protected] Menzies School of Tropical Health 475 Mickleham Road

PO Box 41096 Casuarina, DARWIN 0811 Attwood, 3049 Victoria Bancroft-Mackerras Medal Tel: (08) 8922 8599 Tel (03) 9217 4380 Convenor: Andrew THOMPSON Fax: (08) 8927 5187 Fax: (03) 9217 4299 School of Veterinary and Biomedical Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Sciences

Murdoch University Qld: Katherine TRENHOME WA: Caroline JACOBSEN Murdoch WA 6150 Queensland Institute of Medical Research School of Veterinary and Biomedical Tel (08) 9360 7423 300 Herston Road, Herston, Qld 4006 Sciences Fax: (08) 9310 4144 Tel: (07) 3362 0432 Murdoch University Email: [email protected] Fax: (07) 3362 0104 Murdoch WA 6150

Email: [email protected] Tel 08 9360 6397 Incorporation Secretary: Fax 08 9310 2235 Danielle Smyth (address above) Email: [email protected]

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 2 FROM THE PRESIDENTS BUNKER At the mid-term meeting of Web-based educational resource ASP Council, we considered how in parasitology. This work is de- we should turn the successful signed to commit to media much ICOPA bid into a most successful of the accumulated knowledge of conference. Our first step was to our current parasitologists on appoint a Chairperson of the parasite biology, pathogenesis ICOPA XII organizing commit- and life cycles. POD’s vision is tee. This was not an easy deci- that this resource should be copy- sion to make, because the ASP is righted by the ASP and available blessed with many able senior for all members for use in lectures scientists who could fill the role. and seminars as required. This report comes to you from ASP Council was adamant, how- A request has come from the downtown Kyoto where I am at- ever, that it should decide on the ASP membership that we recon- tending the 2007International BioI- Chairperson, because the success sider the terms of ASP executive. ron Conference. It is early April of ICOPA XII ultimately falls on The executive currently sits for and the weather is pretty darned the ASP. I am pleased to an- one year and is replaced annually cold over here, but the conference nounce that the Chairperson of at the Annual General Meeting. is good, the sights excellent and the the ICOPA XII organizing com- It has been suggested that we con- food delicious. As I sit in the con- mittee is Alan Cowman of the sider adopting a 2-year term for ference among biologists and medi- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of the executive. ASP council is cal people who are primarily NOT Medical Research. Alan is an considering this proposal, but we interested in parasites, I have been outstanding scientist and a leader also feel that all members should reflecting on how us parasitologists in research on malaria. We have be given the opportunity to ex- can continue to compete in this confidence that Alan can build a press their view. We will spend a modern world. Of course, we will, team that will deliver the best- short time at the AGM to discuss so long as organisms like the ma- ever ICOPA. the issue. If we decide to proceed laria parasites, or Haemonchus or I am also pleased to report that with this constitutional change, a Boophilus exist, and so long as Intimate Aliens is back on the vote would be held at a subse- there are new species of monogene- agenda. Those of you who have quent AGM. ans and coccidia and many other followed recent ASP history will I look forward to seeing many taxa to discover (and there are!) know that the idea for this inter- of you at the ASP meeting in and observe. How well we survive active museum-based display of Canberra in July. Carol, Nick and depends largely on us. parasites was first mooted some the team have put together what Yesterday, I took part in a years ago, but was lost because looks to be an excellent confer- “traditional” tea ceremony, obvi- our partners decided to not pro- ence. We extend our gratitude to ously designed for tourists and ceed with the concept. Thanks to the Conference Committee for shortened. In the fast moving tech- the work of Lisa Jones of the Net- their hard work so far. nocracy of Japan, it is good to see work and Questacon, some pro- This will be my last report from that the people hold on to important gress is being made. Lisa has the President’s desk (in this case aspects of their culture and history. shown some design concepts. It hotel room), as I will be passing Maybe there are lessons for us would be great if Intimate Aliens the baton to Shelley Walton in parasitologists in this. could be released to coincide with July. I would like to thank all of This issue of the newsletter ICOPA XII. you for your support over the comes with some sadness as we The Australian Veterinary Para- year. I am especially indebted to remember the passing of two parasitology text book is progressing, our ASP council, and particularly sitologists, Des Hennessy and Dave and I am told that some chapters the other members of the execu- Kemp. Their loss will be felt have been prepared already. We tive, Danielle Smyth and Deb keenly in the parasitology and vet- are looking forward to seeing the Stenzel, for their extraordinary erinary fields, as both gave so first trial edition to be released in work in keeping the ASP running much to these fields. We extend the next year or so. The ASP and and me sane. Well done all! our sympathies to the families of the Parasitology Network have Des and Dave at this difficult time. jointly funded an initiative of Peter O’Donoghue to prepare a MALCOLM JONES

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 3 Vale Des Hennessey

sedation and in the ensuing rodeo Des finally wrestled it to the ground holding it by the horns long enough for the needle to go in, collect blood, and out. Des was the sort of guy to take the bull by the horns! Des went on to establish GLP accredited laboratories in CSIRO and the private sector for undertak- ing analysis of drug levels in tissues. He had a special ability to relate high quality research to prac- tical outcomes and to be able to effectively communicate the relevance of his research to producers, practitioners and parasitology colleagues. Des left CSIRO in 2001 to join Veterinary Health Research where he ran the Analytical Laboratory. This was a new direction for Des after 35 years in CSIRO. He took On 27th December 2006 Des The early work involved heroic on this challenge with renewed en- Hennessy was tragically killed in a and elaborate experiments with thusiasm and thrived on it. In his gliding accident in Gulgong, in animals. Des was a wizard with role he worked with all the major country NSW, Australia. At 59 equipment and devised wonderful pharmaceutical companies and his years old his death was premature, Heath Robinson-like devices. skills were tapped to teach pharma- but he did die doing what he loved. This was pioneering work and cokinetics and drug residue analy- Des had many great qualities, was a Des had to invent as he went. One sis for the APVMA. He was a significant contributor to veterinary device was built from half a Partner in the business and a wise parasitology and cherished his fam- squash ball, 2 syringes and a bag head in VHR. ily. of electronics all held onto the sheep by an elastic stocking and As his reputation spread Des be- Des began his career in CSIRO in carefully connected into the gan to travel and make interna- 1965 as a fresh-faced school leaver. sheep’s organs. But it worked, tional connections and collabora- Des thrived during the halcyon and was fundamental in collect- tions and, so, became a major days of the McMaster Animal ing samples and data generated player in Veterinary Parasitology Health Laboratory in Sydney and from early HPLC machines de- around the world. His reputation in learnt the sciences of animal physi- scribing the pharmacokinetics of this field brought accolades from ology and parasitology. Des a number of anthelminthics, in- the Australia, Belgium, Canada, worked with a number of promi- cluding partitioning into bile. Des Denmark, Germany, UK, USA. nent scientists at that time, but es- planned experiments including Des’s research was highly re- pecially with Roger Prichard from around the clock sampling. The garded. He obtained his PhD from 1970 to 1984. Over this time and whole laboratory was drawn into Macquarie University. In 1987 he since, Des studied means of im- this exercise. On the midnight was awarded the Australian Society proving parasite control through shift we would be greeted by for Parasitology Sprent Prize for better understanding the behaviour Des’s perfectly arranged set of his PhD thesis and the ASP Ban- of antiparasitic drugs. He was par- tubes, syringes, needles and ap- croft Mackerras Medal for research ticularly active in elucidating the propriately prepared sheep. in 1996. Des is the only person to pharmacokinetic properties of On another occasion Roger Prich- have won both awards. To top off anthelmintic drugs and published ard, John Steel and Des were en- his collection he was awarded the more than 50 papers on this and gaged in a pharmacokinetics WAAVP/Pfizer Award for Excel- related topics. study in cattle. One animal defied lence in Veterinary Parasitology by

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 4 the World Association for the Ad- leading role in organizing many ‘All my life I have wanted to fly so vancement of Veterinary Parasitol- conferences and was always will- at last I have got my glider pilot’s ogy in 1999. ing to volunteer his time. licence and now I spend as much The overriding memory of Des is time as I can in sheer bliss, floating Des served the science of parasi- as an enthusiast and a lover of life. around over Camden and Razor- tology at the highest levels. He He was a person who made things back mountains, etc.’ was Treasurer (1988) and then happen and he made strong friend- President of the ASP in 1995 and ships based on his commitment to On 8th January 2007 Des was sat on the Editorial Board of the people and causes. Des had many farewelled, by his family along International Journal for Parasitol- dimensions. He played important with hundreds of his friends and ogy for several years. He was voted community roles in APEX as well colleagues at a memorial service on to the Executive Board of the as local sporting groups and was a in Sydney. Many tributes were WAAVP for what was to be a 10 hockey player himself in younger sent from other colleagues in year term. When he died Des was days. He enjoyed traveling and Australia and overseas. He will Vice President of the WAAVP and went with Wendy to remote and certainly be missed. Family was an Editor-in-Chief of the journal interesting places. He participated vitally important to Des and he ‘Veterinary Parasitology’. These in an impressive list of hobbies in- would tell anyone who would were jobs that Des performed with cluding, scuba diving, golf, yacht- listen about his children and his typical energy and enthusiasm. ing, canoeing, handyman, camping, grandchild’s latest exploits. Des’s Through them he tirelessly pro- four-wheel driving and building. wife Wendy and their three chil- moted parasitology internationally He built and flew intricate model dren Cherie, Alicia and Brent will and supported young scientists in planes. In fact, he loved everything especially miss him. developing their careers. He took a that flew. In a letter to Roger Prich- ard in 1985 Des wrote : Nick Sangster and Roger Prichard

Closing Dates for Nominations for ASP Awards

Bancroft-Mackerras Award - December 31st 2007 (for award in 2008).

Invited Lectureships Travel Grants - December 31st 2007.

JFA Sprent Prize – Next round to be announced Issue 2, 2007.

JD Smyth Travel Awards - December 31st 2007

ASP Fellowships - before next mid term Council meeting (February 2008)

See announcements in this Newsletter or visit the ASP website for more information : www.parasite.org.au

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 5 Vale David Kemp

13 July 1940- 26 January 2007 meticulous approach to experimen- He became a key member of a tation, a mind always full of inter- number of national and interna- Mother Ellen Willison, artist esting ideas and willingness, even tional advisory groups who sought Father Charles Kemp, writer eagerness, to collaborate with other his expertise in chemical control people. He began his work on ticks and resistance management. Acht- Dave was educated at Melrose with typical thoroughness, by ex- est brought Dave into contact with School (boarder age 7-13); then at amining every aspect of the cattle many scientists from around the the Edinburgh Academy, 13-18. He tick’s biology. In his spare time, he world, particularly in the USA and was a strong, healthy child, and began a project, still incomplete at in South America. Already widely never particularly biddable. Be- the time of his death, to revise the respected in Australia for his sci- cause his mother was a single par- taxonomy of the ticks of Australia. ence, his hard work and his abili- ent, he spent much of his boyhood ties, he became well known to the on his uncle’s farm at Acharn, near Initial work on the cattle tick wider scientific community, and Killin, in Perthshire. These times involved feeding and behaviour kept in contact with them long after with his Uncle Douglas were im- on the host, and later the mecha- his nominal retirement in 2003. portant in forming his character, nisms of naturally acquired resis- and his interests in life, as were his tance mediated via the salivary Dave was always on the side of many trips, hill walking and climb- glands, an effect too weak to be the underdog, and often placed ing, with friends in the north of of any value as a vaccination himself at a disadvantage as a re- Scotland. against cattle ticks. Dave, with sult. Never a great believer in au- his colleague Joanne Gough, ob- thority, he stood up for the numer- He began a degree in agricultural served changes in ticks feeding ous good scientists who were made science at Edinburgh University. on Brahman cattle with genetic redundant in 1999 after one of the The first year was farm practice in immunity. They noted that the many rearrangements in CSIRO Aberdeen and Cambridge, then blood meal taken by the tick was management. His retirement in classes at Edinburgh University. leaking into the body fluids of the 2003 was dictated, not by his in- Came first in Zoology in that year, tick, and making the translucent creasing ill health, but by his desire and switched to pure science. He legs of the tick red. This indicated to save the jobs of a number of jun- met his future wife, Anne, at uni- that gut cells inside the tick were ior scientists who were threatened versity and they were married in being damaged, and suggested with redundancy. Retirement of a 1963. that vaccination was possible, if senior scientist relieved some of the Dave began a PhD in 1964, on based on antigens that destroyed pressure on Division’s tight budget. tick ecology, with James Allan the cells of the tick’s gut. This Few had his courage, or his ability Campbell, a noted authority on tick was later developed by CSIRO to make a difference with a well taxonomy and biology. His degree into the first ever successful com- chosen word or action. was completed early in 1968, and mercial vaccination against an Dave gave much of his time and he accepted a job with CSIRO in ectoparasite, known as energies to students, especially the Brisbane. Dave and Anne moved “Tickguard”. Dave was an inte- ones who were abandoned or being to Australia with their two sons, gral member of the development ignored by their supervisors. Some Duncan and Miles. Their daughter, team from the start. students have commented that they Ellen, was born shortly after they In the 1990’s, Dave became would have given up, but for Dave. arrived in Australia. leader of a group, known as Act- est that tested the efficacy of new Although he worked in an institute He settled happily in Australia, acaricides. Under David’s leader- that did not have many postgradu- and loved the life and the culture ship, this service expanded ate students, he influenced many from the moment he arrived. His strongly, interacted with several younger scientists, and was widely work involved immunological ap- of the largest international animal respected. proaches to the control of the cattle health companies and contributed David contributed much to Aus- tick, Boophilus microplus, an intro- both financially and intellectually tralian parasitology. He was in- duced pest in Queensland. His to research programs within vited to speak at the ASP meetings characteristics as a scientist were CSIRO. He continued his own on a number of occasions. His in- immediately apparent: broad and research work in diverse areas, vitation to the Nelson Bay confer- eclectic knowledge across many though always with a focus on the ence is memorable. areas of biological science, a control of parasitic disease.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 6 Dave's plane from Brisbane to Syd- ney had been delayed and he missed the conference bus from Sydney airport to the venue. Not daunted, he organised his own way there, no mean feat, and arrived in plenty of time travel. David enjoyed the fact that his work gave him the opportunity to travel to some of the interesting parts of the globe and his personality was such that he formed friendships every- where he went. He had a great tal- ent for friendship and a strong sense of fun, and those who worked with him have a wealth of stories of Dave in some of his more outra- geous moments. David died on Fri- day 26th January after a long ill- ness which, typically, he managed to hide from all but his closest friends. We will all miss his intel- lect, his care and his concern for others.

Anne Kemp and Peter Willadsen

The Australian Society for Parasitology Roberts Tick Extraordinary business meeting collection 8th December 2006 Queensland Institute of medical Research The Roberts tick collection was entrusted to parasitologists at the Brisbane, Queensland University of South Australia by the Australian National Insect col- Meeting opened 4pm Since the accounts received by the lection (ANIC). The tick collection AGM in 2006 were not audited ac- had deteriorated from a lack of past 1. Present and Apologies counts, it was necessary to hold an funding. To salvage the collection Malcolm Jones (President), Extraordinary Business Meeting. the ASP provided funding to assist Deb Stenzel (Treasurer), with rebottling and the creation of a Danielle Smyth (Secretary)- Motion: That the audited financial computer database which included 33 ASP members present. statements of the ASP for 2005- scanning of the original data cards. Apologies: Roger Pritchard, David 2006 financial year be accepted, Progress of this has been reprted by Jenkins. moved Katherine Trenholme, sec- Ross Andrews; The rebottling of onded by Rob Adlard. Carried the collection is completed, and 2. Presentation of Audited Finan- the samples and data cards are now cial Statements. Meeting closed at 4.15 pm safely stored in a fireproof cabinet. An oral presentation was provided to All parties involved with the sal- the meeting by Malcolm Jones. He vage operation would like to thank outlined the requirements under the the ASP for contributing to this Queensland Fair trading Act, which important preservation project. requires Incorporated Societies to \Plans are now underway to photo- present audited statements to an An- graph the collection, though this nual Meeting. may be a slow process.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 7 NETWORK NEWS Network Annual Report Brazil in June and July 2007; host-parasite interactions under the * Miss Melanie Andrews, PHD direction of Prof. Chris Secombes The Network Annual Report - Candidate from the Tasmanian from May-June 2007. which documents Australian Para- Aquaculture and Fisheries Insti- sitology research achievements for tute, University of Tasmania for a Network Travel Award applica- 2006 - is now available at http:// six week Researcher Exchange at tion dates for 2007/08 www.parasite.org.au/arcnet/reports/ the Norwegian School of Veteri- index.html nary Science, National Veterinary For planning purposes we have set Institute in Oslo, Norway from 5 the following dates for submission Network Travel Award Winners August - 15 September 2007. of your Network Travel Award * Darren Krause, from the Aus- application. Following each of the- Congratulations to the most recent tralian Army Malaria Institute, for sedates the applications will be as- Network Researcher Exchange, a Researcher Exchange to work in sessed by the Network Manage- Training and Travel Award win- Prof. Leann Tilley's lab to do live mentCommittee and applicants will ners: cell staining from Monday 5 - 9 be advised of the outcome where * Prof. John Dalton, Institute for March 2007; possible within three weeks. the Biotechnology of Infectious * Dr Rogan Lee, Senior Scientist, Diseases, University of Technology Institute of Clinical Pathology 2007/08 dates for submission of Sydney, for a Researcher Exchange and Medical Research, Westmead Network Travel Award applica- to bring Wains International Fellow Hospital for a Researcher Ex- tions Dr. Mark Robinson to visit for 12 change and Visiting International * Friday 1 June 2007 months in 2007. Lectureship to bring Dr Colin * Friday 31 August 2007 * Prof. Alan Cowman, The Walter Sutherland from London School * Friday 30 November 2007 and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, * Friday 29 February 2008 Research, for a Researcher Ex- London, UK to Australia from 1 change to bring Dr Gordon June - 31 August 2007; Public Events Langsley, Lab Head at the Institut * Dr. Michelle Power, Postdoc- Cochin, Paris, France to visit for a toral Research Fellow at Mac- The Network was proud to host 2 week period in December 2006 quarie University for a one-month "Travel Bugs", a public presenta- * Dr Nathan Bott, Senior Research Researcher Exchange to visit the tion on parasites, travellers' health Officer at SARDI, attended the Laboratories of Dr Donald and tropical diseases, on Tuesday Fish Histopathology course re- Duszynski at the SouthWest Mu- 27th March at 7pm at the Queen- cently at The University of Tasma- seum of Biology and Prof. Rob sland Institute of Medical Re- nia. Miller at the University of New search. Speakers - drawn mainly * Ms Catherine James, PhD candi- Mexico, both in Albuquerque, from ARC/NHMRC Research Net- date from the Institute for the Bio- USA to learn methodology for work for Parasitology members technology of Infectious Diseases describing new Eimeria species, based at QIMR (Nick Smith, Mi- at the University of Technology, obtain samples of Eimeria from chael Good, Mal Jones, Alex Lou- Sydney for a Researcher Exchange North and South American mar- kas, Charlene Willis and Jacqui to visit the laboratory of Professor supials, to isolate and extract Upcroft) - addressed about 50 peo- Roger Prichard at McGill Univer- DNA from these samples and ple in a free public forum preceded sity, Institute for Parasitology, ship back to Australia and to es- and followed by some drinks and Quebec, Canada for 4 months from tablish a collaboration to investi- food. The event was a lot of a fun February/March 2007 through to gate co-evolution of Eimeria and and, importantly, an informative June/July 2007; marsupials; night for all in attendance. * Miss Annette Dougall, a Doctor * Jennifer Covello, PhD Candi- Public lectures are a great way to of Philosophy candidate from Men- date at School of Aquaculture, raise the profile of parasitology, so, zies School of Health Research, University of Tasmania for a Re- if you have a good idea for an Charles Darwin University for a searcher Exchange to visit the event, please contact Researcher Exchange for 4 weeks Scottish Fish Immunology Re- Lisa Jones ([email protected]) of research and training at the Liv- search Centre in Aberdeen, Scot- Or Carly Johnson erpool School of Tropical Medi- land to investigate molecular as- ([email protected]). cine, UK and 2 weeks field training pects of the striped trumpeter im- and laboratory teaching Teresina, mune response as it relates to NICK SMITH

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 8 Minutes of the 2007 Mid-term Council Meeting of the Australian Society for Parasitology Friday 9th February 2007 The Mecure Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland

Meeting opened 8.20 am To find alternative financial op- To discuss membership application tions to Macquarie Uni as they with incoming executive and meet Time of reflection on the lives of charge a 10% infrastructure fee. with RGSQ. (Completed JZ). Des Hennessy and David Kemp. (Complete MP; Will be addressed Intimate Aliens: Lisa Jones will during report by Newsletter Edi- present an update later in the meet- Present and Apologies. tor). ing. Present: Caroline Bath-Jacobsen To approach professional de- (CB-J), Carolyn Behm (CB), Na- signers regarding an alternative B) 2006 AGM than Bott (NB), Brendan Crabb ASP logo. (ongoing SR, DP). No business arising. (BC), Julie-Anne Fritz (JF), Deb- CB-J was sent information by orah Holt (DH), Lisa Jones (LJ), Rebecca Traub who has a friend C) 2006 SM Malcolm Jones (MJ), Catherine that could do it for $2000, a com- Audited accounts: The ASP was in Miller (CM), Barbara Nowak (BN), pany (?) was also contacted and technical breach of the QLD Fair David Piedrafita (DP), Michelle they quoted double that amount. Trading Act by not presenting an Power (MP), Mark Sandeman The matter had not been taken audited account to the 2006 AGM. (MS), Nick Smith (NS), Danielle any further. A Special Meeting was called in Smyth (DSm), Deb Stenzel (DSt), NS suggested obtaining a December to rectify. Quorum was Andrew Thompson (AT), Kathe- quote from the designer that did reached (>20). rine Trenholme (KT), Jody the Network logo (could be as However we need to put meas- Zawadzki (JZ). low as $600-$800 for a choice of ures in place to ensure we don’t four designs). BC suggested repeat this breach in coming years. Apologies: Shelley Walton (SW) Drew Barrymore is designing the As the conference (AGM) in sched- new IJP cover and logo and could uled for July again, if the books are closed in June it leaves very little Minutes of Previous Meetings. also be commissioned to design a time to get them audited. For the new ASP logo. CB also noted that audit to be completed in time, we No changes to the Minutes of the a new logo would be good before would need to close the books 4-6 2006 End-of Term Council Meet- ICOPA. weeks prior to AGM. ing (ETM), 2006 Annual General Motion: To close the books on Meeting (AGM), 2006 Special Motion: To obtain a number of April 30th, 2007 in order to have Meeting (SM). options to present in the Newslet- audited accounts to present to the Motion: The Minutes of the last ter and at the AGM (AT/MP) AGM in July, 2007. (KM/DP) meeting be accepted (NB/DP). Unanimous Unanimous. Unanimous Action: NS to obtain costs and designs. MP, CM, and NS to meet Business Arising from meeting and discuss options. 4. Reports A) President’s report To obtain information on ASP’s Written report provided (MJ) A) 2006 ETM charity free status and the society 2006 Conference at the Gold Coast To discuss other awards (JD Smyth being able to set up a mechanism was a great success and was the first type award for early career re- to accept donations (fundraising joint conference with the Network. searcher): will be addressed during account): MJ and DSt approached Thanks given to NS and the Network the meeting if time permits. a solicitor (Alison Chappell at for their sponsorship, secretariat Undergraduate student prizes: will be Corrs Chambers Westgarth Law- work and their major role in making discussed if time permits. yers) and the ASP can legally act the conference a success. IJP income: BC to follow up on the as a trust. decrease in IJP income due to an in- Congratulations to the ICOPA bid crease in direct production costs and To draft a set of guidelines/ team for their sterling effort in win- editorial fees by ~12% (no agreement selection criteria for nomination ning to host ICOPA XII in Mel- had been arranged). (Complete, will for BMM. No action has been bourne 2010. be followed up by an email –BC). taken.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 9 Intimate Aliens parasitology display for discussion at the AGM (NS/ and financial member status. is back on the agenda and Lisa Jones BC). Unanimous Changes of details forms go to from the Network has been working RGSQ, however information is not with Questacon to develop new ideas Action: BC/MS/NS/AT/JZ will passed on to Executive Secretary (see separate agenda item). discuss possible models and ways (who can then pass on to state reps). After attending the successful to create corporate memory and AT suggested changing the secre- workshop for the Veterinary Parasi- continuity in the Executive Council tariat. CB suggested having a dedi- tology textbook, for which council positions. To be presented at the cated membership secretary on agreed to provide seed funding, a AGM. MJ will mention this in the council, possibly a paid position. DP preliminary outline of the book has President’s report in the next news- pointed out that if the person was on been drafted. It is anticipated that a letter. council, they would be more diligent ‘beta’ version would be released in in keeping details up to date. KT 2008 with final publication in 2009 Motion: The President’s report be made council aware that the British (in time for ICOPA XII). The text accepted (PD/KT). Unanimous Society of Parasitology (BSP) sends might represent a minor source of out a letter/email to members annu- income for the ASP in coming years. B) Treasurer’s report ally to update details to put into a The ANNP (Network) is currently Written/oral report provided (DSt) membership booklet. MP suggested halfway through its current term and it’s up to state reps to keep up to date has been successful in raising the DSt gave a summary of accounts with their members. Problem being profile of Parasitology in Australia. currently held by the ASP and the honour’s students which are in and The ASP was in technical breach of income received for the period July out within a 1 year period are kept the QLD Fair Trading Act by not 2006/Feb 2007. on the database for the two year presenting an audited account to the Major outgoings for the Society grace period. 2006 AGM. A Special Meeting was for 2006/2007 were the council Action: Have Kath Berg (RGSQ) called in December to rectify, how- meeting and student support for the send DSm a list of current members ever we need to put measures in 2006 Gold Coast conference, ARC (need to convert to Excel file) to place to ensure we don’t repeat this Research Network support and seed purge and clean up the database and breach in coming years (to discuss funding for the Vet Textbook work- send state reps and Newsletter editor later). shop held in Sydney. Upcoming the updated lists. expenses include the Council Mid- There have been suggestions again D) International Journal for Para- regarding extending the terms of Ex- term meeting, JD Smyth Travel awards and IJP production costs. sitology Editor’s report ( BC) ecutive Council members from 1 year Written/oral report provided. to 2. There are pros and cons for ex- The current Profit/loss statement After a successful first year in the tending and the issue should be indicates an operating loss, however Editor-in-Chief position, BC reports brought to the society for discussion. this does not take into account in- a strong relationship with Elsevier is CB cautioned that the issue had been come from interest bearing accounts being maintained. debated about 10 years ago without (which are doing very well) and IJP 2006 broke records in terms of clear resolution. MJ suggested that it royalties from Elsevier. numbers of submissions (well over be brought up for society discussion Motion: The Treasurer’s report be 500); January 2007 started well with and not decided on and forced by accepted (NB/DH). Unanimous 56 submissions. At this rate the re- council. MP suggested a couple of C) Secretariat/Incorporation Sec- jection rate will have to be >80% , models could be brought forward for retary report as the number of pages in the jour- contemplation. BC thinks more conti- Oral report provided by DSm. nal stays constant (page budget). nuity and corporate memory is im- Current membership is at 386 fi- The impact factor will be similar to portant, creating continuity with not nancial members. This includes 27 3.346 (2005). just the in-coming president, but the Fellows, 21 life members, 109 stu- Internationalisation: New cover executive council getting a year’s dent members, and 221 ordinary design being commissioned, new experience prior to taking on the ap- members, 6 gratis and 2 sustaining. editorial board, new Deputy Editor pointment. MS suggested having act- There have been 13 new members for Reviews (Dr D. Soldati); El- ing treasurer/secretary in order to since 1st July 2006. Emails being sevier is doing a lot to promote IJP have a year of learning the job. CB sent by RGSQ from overseas en- (eg. Flyers in other journals). reminded that a change in term quiries are sent details clearly stat- Open access: still on 12 month length would require a constitutional ing two member signatures are trial. Author pay system means it change. required for successful application costs ~$3000 to enable open access. Motion: That a change of the Execu- to the society. DP brought up that Some funding bodies (eg. Wellcome tive Council term from 1 year to 2 there are still issues regarding cur- Trust) pays for the people they fund years will be brought to the society rent contact details of members to have open access publications.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 10 NS asked whether having ‘open ac- Ian Beverage is finalising the pictures for the website. cess’ would drive the journal’s im- ‘History of Parasitology in Austra- pact factor higher? BC said that lia’ which is to include all awards Motion: The Webmaster’s report be there was one study done (PNAS) lists. A list of JD Smyth Travel accepted (JF/NB). Unanimous where they quoted a doubling of Award recipients has been started citations. The idea is that if you can by DP/JZ but only from 2002. H) BMM Convenor’s report get access to the full paper, you will Action: CB to look through past Oral report provided (AT) use it and cite it. newsletters to obtain missing years. Motion: The IJP Editor’s report be This will also be eventually posted One nomination has been received. accepted (MS/JF). Unanimous on the webpage. There has been Should AT continue to look at the wording of the award and have the E) Newsletter Editor’s report (MP) liaison with National Film and award similar to those offered in the Written/oral report provided (MP) Sound Archive for curation/copying UK and US for early-mid career sci- The transition between Newsletter of JD Smyth’s Echinococcus cul- entists? editor’s appears to have run ture films. The question was also raised as smoothly; Two editions have been to whether the committee should be printed and distributed to financial Motion: The Archivist’s report be actively searching for nominees? society members since July 2006, accepted (CM/CB-J). Unanimous with the December issue seeing a Motion: The BMM Convenor’s re- change in presentation and an experi- G) Webmaster’s report port be accepted (DSm/DSt). mental colour cover. Written/oral report provided (MS) Unanimous Streamlining of production and cost reduction strategies are being imple- New web pages are up on the 5. Conference Reports mented. A print post account has ASP site and most seems to be A) 2006 Queensland been re-established so that postal working as planned. Some pages (Parasitology Benchmark): final charges are invoiced directly to the are still having issues (eg. Para- report and financial statement. Oral Society; similarly printing costs in- sites’ page and the Search page). report provided (MJ) curred through Macquarie University Provision of a dedicated log-in The conference was a great suc- Lighthouse Press are also directed to site for ASP members has not cess although it did run at a small the Society. eventuated and may not be a pri- loss (less $4221); however the reg- Further streamlining can be done mary consideration given the Net- istration was kept deliberately very by printing address labels directly work site has such facilities and is low and a large number of people onto envelopes in conjunction with hosted on the ASP page. ended up attending. printing postage and society details. Any increase in functionality of B) 2007 Canberra Action: MP to determine what file the site (eg. https pages) would be Oral/written report provided (CB) formats can be provided by RGSQ. best done through a casual pro- Conference will be held at the Cost effective ways to improve the grammer to ensure that work is newly named Marque Hotel on presentation of the Newsletter in- carried out promptly and at a suit- Northbourne Avenue, Canberra clude the option of different paper able standard. City and online registration is now types however member feedback Provision of news and other open. Most Plenary and Sympo- will be valuable for directing poten- topical items on the site at the mo- sium speakers have been con- tial changes to the Newsletter’s ment are from two primary firmed. ASP Invited Lecturers are presentation. sources: the ASP Newsletter and Prof Sanjeev Krishna (University A printer/scanner unit was pur- the Network newsletter. Request of London), Prof Richard Grencis chased in August 2006. to be added to conference organ- (University of Manchester) and Dr iser’s email list (to be kept up to Peter Daszak (Consortium for Con- Motion: The Newsletter Editor’s re- date) and to be remembered by servation Medicine, New York). port be accepted (CM/CB-J). Unani- people distributing information so Student support is to be set mous that it can be added to website. based on the previous year’s Sought council’s guidance on amount (just under $30,000). F) Archivist’s report releasing news of the death of ASP Motion: Student support for the Written/oral report provided (CB). members on the site. 2007 annual conference will be set Lack of Council photos and cor- at $30,000 (NB/JT). Unanimous Works in progress include the scan- rect contact details need to be ad- Call to change the Constitution ning of all abstract booklets, which dressed. to shorten the amount of time (from one of CB’s students has been doing Action: MS had brought digital six months to three months) a stu- in their spare time. camera to capture photos of Coun- dent is required to be an ASP mem- cil members who had not provided ber prior to the annual conference

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 11 date. Due to the conference being Themes for scientific program F) Selection of PCO held in July for the past few years have been suggested and ideas for and the next few years, some students how the poster sessions will run It was discussed amongst Council miss out on being able to attend due are also being explored (ideas to that the experience in large scientific to beginning studies in February. get more discussion happening at conferences and general ‘feeling’ Therefore, if changed to three poster display time). gained from ASN would be the pref- months, the proposed cut off date for erence. student’s to become a member for the D) 2009 location

2007 conference will be March 31, Sydney has been nominated for the Motion: That Council recommends 2007. 2009 conference. ASN as the PCO for ICOPA XII.

(DP/KT) Unanimous. Motion: To propose a change of Arti- E) 2010 ICOPA XII cle XIII of the Constitution to read: DP organised for 2 Professional Action: DP will let the PCOs know Conference Organisers (PCO) to the decision to recommend ASN and Eligibility for Scientific Travel give short presentations to Council signoff will be pending final approval Grants is further limited to individu- regarding their services and exper- of a chairperson (as the chairperson als who have been financial members tise in being able to handle an in- will have the final decision). for at least three (3) months prior to ternational conference the size of the General Business Meeting. (KT/ ICOPA. G) Nominations for a Chairperson JA) Unanimous. Need to appoint a chairperson and ICE Australia (Kerry Richardson/ Council was asked to think of poten- Action: To include in next Newslet- Emma Wyse-both with company tial nominees and email them to MJ, ter for discussion by the Society. for a couple of years) was very MJ will contact nominees to gauge ‘corporate’ and a specialist in ‘not for profit’ organisations which MJ mentioned that the Fellow’s 6) ARC/NHMRC Network Presen- means they are very aware of not Lunch at the 2006 conference was a tation spending money unnecessarily and success and called for a similar event to be held at the 2007 conference. are experienced in cost cutting. Head office is based in Sydney, Oral/written report provided (NS) Motion: That all current Fellows will however they do have a Melbourne be invited to attend a Fellow’s Lunch office. Their web services looked The new Network website went ac- at the 2007 annual conference. (DP/ very professional and the basic rate tive January 2007. Four newsletters AT) Unanimous. was $60 per delegate which is for were sent out from October 2006, managing the registration/abstract and one so far for 2007. C) 2008 Adelaide submission/accommodation book- Oral/written report provided (NB) ing only. A deposit would be re- Conference website and registration quired. Conference insurance (for is now active. The Royal Society of Public Liability) would be required Tropical Medicine and Hygiene are NB gave an update on progress for to be taken out. co-funding ($25,000) a plenary ses- the 2008 conference, which has sion and a symposium session at the been scheduled to run from Sunday ASN (Mike Pickford) has a lot of conference as part of their Centen- July 6 to Wednesday July 9. experience in scientific confer- ary Celebrations. th ences (Lorne Protein conferences 15 applications for researcher ex- It was noted that the 5 International from 2003; ASMR annual confer- changes have been awarded funding Congress of Nematology is being th ences, research weeks and con- since July 2006. held in Brisbane from 13-18 July, gress). Company based in Mel- therefore there is an opportunity to bourne, Mike Pickford is the Ex- Action: NS will send out an email to poach speakers (eg. Plant Parasitic ecutive Director and would be Pro- Council to ask ‘what the network Nematodes being one intended ject manager for the entire life of means to you, where is it going in theme). Also the possibility of a the project. An environmentally joint meeting with NZSP will be friendly conference is promised. i) the next three years and explored due to sessions of interest Rate was $56 per delegate + $16 (asp. Livestock). per abstract. No upfront deposit is ii) in the future? Venue chosen is the Stamford required. Have conferences of Grand at Glenelg (beachside sub- urb), and holds 200-250 delegates. similar size to ICOPA in the years leading up to 2010.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 12 7. Intimate Aliens C) JD Smyth Travel Award D) Other business Lisa Jones gave a presentation to Received 3 award applications, 2 were awarded. Congratulations to Council on the ideas being generated DP raised issue from 2006 AGM, Catherine James (UTS) and Am- for the intimate Aliens POD designs. whereby the Archivist position had ber Glanfield (QIMR). The entire exhibition would be made a second nominee. The Constitu- up of 10 PODs (3 sided, interactive tion states that the position of Ar- Action: DSm will notify all appli- boards) which can be showcased at chivist is an annual position how- cants of the outcome. conferences and used as an education ever, it seems clear that it should tool. The example of the very well be a council appointed position, to D) Sprent Prize received and successful Earthquest roll over a number of years due to It was noted that the next Sprent PODs was given: travelling for 8 the need for continuity. prize is to be awarded at the 2008 years around Australia and is man- conference in Adelaide. Calls for aged by Questacon. LJ presented Motion: To propose a change in nominations will be made in the many excellent ideas of what the in- Article IV section 2, paragraphs 2 August (2007) newsletter. teractive boards would contain. and 3 of the Constitution to read:

Questacon also has a very good repu- E) ASP undergraduate prizes in tation internationally so the PODs All officers of the Society, with the universities could be packed up and travelled exception of the Editor(s), Newslet- Due to time restraints this item will overseas. ter Editor, Webmaster and Archi- be discussed at the ETM . vist, for the ensuing term shall be To make a single 3 sided full interac- 9. Correspondence elected by each General Business tive POD, it would cost $60,000. Online Parasite Register. Due to Meeting at which postal and proxy This could then be used as a ‘proof of time restraints this item will be votes will be accepted. concept’ to generate sponsorship discussed at the ETM. from other organisations/companies The Editor(s), Newsletter Editor, to finance the other PODs to com- 10. Other Business Archivist and Webmaster shall be plete the collection. elected for a period of three (3) A) POD- internet based Parasi- years and then subject to re- Motion: To draw money ($60,000) to tology election for further periods of three support IA to get the initial POD years with no limit to the number of made. (CB/JZ). Unanimous. MJ showed Council examples of years of continuous service. (DP/ the webpages for parasites. All CM). Unanimous. Action: LJ will seek Questacon’s agreed that the concept was a good advice on which POD to make first one and should be supported. Action: To include in next Newslet- and report back to council. ter for discussion by the Society. Awards Motion: To fund POD a sum of A) Bancroft-Mackerras Medal $15000 to employ a graphics de- Dr Bridget Ogilvie has been recog- One nomination has been received. signer (part time for 1 year) to de- nised with a Companion of the Or- A committee has been formed to sign original lifecycles/illustrations der of Australia for her services to consider a nomination. (DSm/DSt) Unanimous. science in the field of biomedical research. As a research scientist in B) ASP Fellows the 1960s and 1970s, Ogilvie stud- 2 nominations for Fellowships were C) Science Meets Parliament ied the immune response to para- received. Both nominees were sites in animals and humans, and elected to Fellowship of the Austra- SMP will be held March 27/28, helped discover the role of a class lian Society for Parasitology 2007. Dave Jenkins is unable to of antibodies known as IgE. It was attend as he is on a field trip. POD mentioned that the Society could Action: MJ will notify and congratu- has agreed to attend and a younger use Dr Ogilivie’s award to enhance late the two Fellows and they will be scientist is needed to accompany. our profile. invited to attend the next conference. CB will forward DSm the certificates Action: Any members of Council to send out and DSm will alert RGSQ wanting to attend (or who can Meeting closed at 4.15pm of the changes as they will be ‘gratis’ nominate early-mid career scientist members. interested in attending) should email MJ.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 13 JD Smyth travel award reports through the 1000’s of people that Darren Gray Haggis, Bratwurst had invaded for the festival and to my amazement got only half a and Pasta. dozen days of rain the whole time School of Population I was there with quite hot Health, Matt Dixon weather. My time in Edinburgh The University of flew past with great success I met Queensland I have recently returned from a lots of nice people and made three month sabbatical in the UK some good contacts for the future. In August 2006 a contingent of and Europe. During my time away At the end of At the end of my I attended the 11th International staff and students from the Univer- stay in Edinburgh my fiancée sity of Queensland and the Queen- Congress of Parasitology in Glas- Sybil joined me before leaving gow where I gave a poster presen- sland Institute of Medical Research sunny Scotland for the south. th tation titled “Commitment to Ga- attended the 11 International Con- metocytogenesis in Plasmodium Our first stop was London where gress of Parasitology in Glasgow falciparum”. During the confer- I visited the London School of Scotland. The conference was a ence I was able to meet many of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine big success with around 2000 peo- the worlds leading researchers and as a guest of Dr David Baker and ple from 88 countries in atten- made many good contacts includ- Dr Colin Sutherland and pre- dance. ing several new collaborations for sented some of the work from my our laboratory. PhD. From London we travelled I received The JD Smyth Travel- to Dartmouth where we spent ling Award from the Australian After the conference I headed to some time with family, which Society of Parasitology to attend Edinburgh where I spent 6 weeks at included sailing on the English this conference and to also travel to the Institute of Immunology and Channel and eating Devonshire London after the conference to at- Infection Research at the Univer- tea. From the UK we travelled to tend meetings with colleagues at sity of Edinburgh in Dr Joanne Germany to visit expat QIMRer the Imperial College London (St Thompson’s laboratory. The pur- Tobi Spielmann who is now a Mary’s Hospital) and The London pose of my visit to the institute was member of Dr Tim Gilberger’s School of Hygiene and Tropical to learn and conduct transfections lab at the Bernhard Nocht Insti- Medicine in order to set up future of the rodent malaria Plasmodium tute for Tropical Medicine in research collaborations and/or Post- berghei. During my time there I Hamburg. From our whirlwind Doctoral positions. managed to obtain 2 successful visit to Germany our travels took knockouts of potential surface sig- us to Switzerland and a tour of The conference showcased the cur- nalling molecules. I’m now in the the Alps before descending rent research in parasitology from process of setting up the P.berghei through northern Italy to Rome. molecular biology to epidemiology transfection system at QIMR. As a In Rome I gave a seminar and and made particular reference to pure coincidence I managed to time visited Dr Pietro Alano at the Isti- the need to support more research my stay to coincide with the Edin- tuto Superiore de Sanita. After into the Neglected Tropical Dis- burgh festival’s so I got to see a recovering from our pasta in- eases of which 1 billion people are duced coma we sadly had to leave infected Worldwide and, as a few shows in my spare time. As th well as entertainment I got to drink Europe and return back home to group, are ranked 6 by the WHO lots of warm beer and I managed to Queensland. My time away was in the World’s top 10 Major dis- even sample the Scottish delicacy rewarding both on a personal and eases in terms of DALYs. The Ne- of haggis, which wasn’t too bad if research level with great experi- glected Tropical Diseases consist you can get past the fact that you ences and good contacts for the of Buruli ulcer, cholera, cysticerco- are eating third string offal. While future. Finally special thanks to sis, dracunculiasis (guinea-worm in Edinburgh I got to visit all the the Australian society of Parasi- disease), food borne trematode in- major attractions while migrating tology and the ARC/NHMRC fections, hydatidosis, leishmani- Research Network for Parasitol- asis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocer- ogy for funding of my research ciasis, schistosomiasis, soil- exchange. transmitted helminthiasis, trachoma and trypanosomiasis.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 14 The Schistosomiasis research group After the conference I battled the Unfortunately I was not able to I belong to, led by Prof. Don beefed up security and flight can- meet with some of the people I McManus, Prof. Gail Williams and cellations and headed to London. wanted to meet with at the school Prof. Li Yuesheng used this confer- Whilst in London I went to the due to the fact that they were on ence to showcase our current re- Imperial College London (St holidays; however I have had dis- search under the umbrella of our Mary’s Hospital) and The Lon- cussions with them via email and International Collaborative Re- don School of Hygiene and have set up a phone conference search Grants Scheme award, Tropical Medicine in order to set with them in the near future. funded by the NHMRC and Well- up future research collaborations come Trust. I gave an Oral Presen- and/or Post-Doctoral positions. I have gained a lot from my trip to tation entitled “A Cluster Random- Glasgow and London. I am now ised Design Bovine Intervention At the Imperial College I met more familiar with the current in- Trial Against S. japonicum in The with Prof. Alan Fenwick who is ternational research on Schisto- People Republic of China”, which the Head of the Schistosomiasis somiasis and the other parasitic summarised the design my PhD Control Initiative (SCI), which diseases. Additionally I am more Project. I was also a Co-Author on aims to control morbidity in Af- aware of the need to continue such 2 other Oral Presentations and a rica. We discussed our research research in lieu of the need to sup- Poster Presentation. and then turned our attentions to port the Neglected Tropical Dis-

prospective post-doctoral oppor- eases. I have also met many peo- The Poster Presentation I was in- tunities for myself. I also met ple in the field and have made volved in was a bit left field for a with Prof. Joanne Webster at the some contacts for future research parasitology conference as, in col- Imperial College who is also in- and have set up some promising laboration with Simon Forsyth and volved with the SCI as well as post-doctoral opportunities for my- Robert Li from The University of Schistosomiasis research in self. Queensland, I have developed a China. We also discussed post- new type of Database and we used doctoral opportunities as well as I would sincerely like to thank the this conference as an opportunity prospective future collaborations. Australian Society of Parasitology showcase this to an international I also went to the London School for their support. audience. The Poster was entitled of Hygiene and Tropical Medi- “A Bi-Lingual Self-Validating Da- cine where I met with Dr Simon Darren Gray tabase, with Instant Statistical Brooker to discuss prospective Analysis for Epidemiological Field post-doctoral opportunities. Trial When Working in an Envi- ronment with Limited Technical Resources”. This Database is specifically designed for countries with limited technical resources and although it is designed for a schistosomiasis intervention trial, this concept has wider applications to other epidemiological trials and control programs.

Overall I thought the conference was really well organised and the presentations were of high quality. I was a bit disappointed in some of the presentations of those who I was really looking forward to hear- ing speak. However on the other hand some presentations particularly stood out for me, notably Pe- ter Hotez, Alex Loukas and of course those who presented from our group. I am looking forward to the next International Congress of Parasitology, which is to be held in Melbourne in 2010. Above: Don McManus looks on as Darren’s presentation at ICOPA.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 15 Our previous Director, Professor Sadly we have recently farewelled Michael Wallach, has decided to Nicky Boulter, Margarita Villavedra return to research and will continue and Scott Minns. All have made the STATE NEWS his long-term collaboration with move to industry with Nicky joining Nick Smith here at IBID. We would Genetic Signatures, Margarita moving to PacMab and Scott to Microbial AUSTRALIAN like to thank Michael for all his Screening. We wish the well in their CAPITOL TERRORY efforts on our behalf over the last 4 new jobs. On a cheerier note we years and welcome him back to the would like to congratulate Colin The First Australian Eimeria group. Stack on his recent marriage and Sa- C. elegans Meeting In other news we have had a busy bina Belli and Iveta Slapeta who start to the year with the arrival of have both given birth to baby boys! It was a historical event when Aus- the Honours students. Rowan Ikin Nick Smith and Kate Miller caught tralia’s C. elegans researchers came and Alana Zakrewski are working up with Joe Boray (pictured below). together for the first time for what with Nick Smith and Kate Miller on Joe is a Fellow and Past ASP Presi- was the First Australian C. elegans the role of the P2X7 receptor in the dent and his achievments in Parasi- Meeting. This event was organised immune response to intracellular tology can be read about in upcoming and hosted by the Behm lab at the parasites, David Alquezar and the ‘History of Parasitology in Aus- ANUs Kioloa Coastal Campus on the Sarah Fordyce are working with tralia’. Joe retired in 1999 but he con- 26th – 28th March. A number of labs Nigel Beebe on malaria vectors in tinues to maintain few strains of throughout Australia were repre- Papua New Guinea and Dan Lu is Lymnaea tomentosa in his laboratory sented. These included members working with Kevin Broady on a in his Sydney home. Joe’s recent from Dr Stephen Trowell’s group at bioinformatics investigation of milestone was turning 80 last Octo- CSIRO Entomology, Associate Pro- Ixodes holocyclus. We hope they all ber. fessor Carolyn Behm’s group at The have a successful year! Selma Maric from Sweden is currently Australian National University, Dr Veterinary Science visiting Prof. J. P. Dalton’s Paul Eberts group at The University University of Sydney lab. She is enrolled as a Masters of Queensland, Dr Peter Hunt at As detailed in the previous news, student in Biotechnology at the CSIRO Livestock Industries, Dr Han- Prof Nick Sangster left Sydney Uni- Royal Institute of Technology, nah Nicholas’ group at the University versity for CSU in September after Stockholm and will work on the of Sydney and Dr Warwick Grant’s 20 years of excellent Parasitological zinc-dependent protease leucine group now at The University of Mel- research and teaching- ostensibly for aminopeptidase from P. falcipa- bourne. A range of topics were dis- a “dust-change” in the current rum. Her project in enzymology cussed, ranging from olfaction and drought. As Nick cogently summed will investigate the effect on sub- various developmental processes in up those years “I think that I have strate catalysis and inhibitor bind- C. elegans, to how C. elegans re- taught Parasitology to more than half ing when a zinc ion at the enzyme search can contribute to the parasitic of the Vet School alumni!!” Little active site is substituted for other nematode community. All presenta- remains static and Dr Jan Slapeta has divalent metal ions. tions were of a high standard. The been appointed to the USyd meeting also provided PhD and honours students with an informal setting in which to present their projects. We look forward to the Second Austra- lian C. elegans Meeting to be held in March next year.

For copies of presented abstracts, please contact Julie [email protected]

NEW SOUTH WALES

Institute for the Biotechnology of Infectious diseases, UTS First and foremost, congratulations to Professor John Dalton on his appoint- ment as the new Director of IBID! John will take over in early April.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 16 Parasitology team in Feb 2007 from textbook linked to a comprehensive of the Institute of Parasitology at his current postdoctoral position at website- substantial progress was McGill University in Canada. His UTS (profile next letter). He brings made and the commitments made position in Wagga is a Research the youth, energy and drive required on those heady days will come Chair, one of ten CSU is appointing to make headway against his special- home to roost shortly!! in areas of research strength. . ity, protozoal parasites and patho- In SheepGenomics, the parasite The new research lab is due to be gens. A project on Neospora trans- phenotyping has been completed completed for Terry’s arrival and we mission is underway. for 2006 at the Falkiner Field Sta- are busily tooling up. (Ore-clinical The protozoal project work is tion, Deniliquin, with 5 batches of building pictured below). We are all timely, as the University Wildlife 2800 FECs sent to occupy staff at willing to collaborate especially in Centre has been completed and will EMAI (yours Gareth!). Substantial the area of farm animal parasitology. be opened at the Camden Campus progress has been made in the re- We have research grants in and hope next month. search areas this year culminating we can kick off some serious work in On the teaching front, Semester 2 in exciting presentations at the An- 2007. saw the first parasitology course for- nual conference in early December. Abdullah Alanazi has brought his mulated and delivered to 48 second The work at Sydney Uni interfaces horse parasite PhD work to Wagga year students in the new Animal and closely with complementary re- and it is good to know there are Veterinary Biosciences as an internal search with other ASP members at plenty of worms around here despite elective within Entomology. For my- CSIRO Livestock Industries (Ross the drought. He is concentrating on self, with an unabashed insect inter- Windon, Peter Hunt), UNE (Julius larval cyathostomins, but collecting a est, this series was a real delight, and and Karen), and Monash (David range of parasites. Once he is over all passed. Delivered concurrently Piedrafita and Joanna Kemp). knee surgery (football injury) he’ll be with the Parasitology commitments Sheep CRC funding was re-newed back next to the post mortem table. in our Vet 3 Animal Disease mod- in Dec 06, so the SheepGenomics The research activities will link ules, Sally Pope and Renee Rawson will interface closely with the with our diagnostic capacity which provided the reliable and capable CRC’s “Information nucleus” we hope to kick off with a parasitol- support in the logistical nightmare. flocks. ogy service before the ASP Confer- Once again, the legendary perform- ence. Joe Farish has been appointed ance from David Jenkins on hydatids School of Agricultural and to start up the lab and diagnostic ac- was eagerly anticipated by the stu- Veterinary Science tivities. dents and they were not disappointed. Charles Sturt University The curriculum development One of the student presentations, a work goes on as we build several song publicizing the public health We are building momentum in new parasitology cases. Innovation is aspects of Echinococcus, has found parasitology at Charles Sturt. Pro- always hard work, but we believe its way onto “You-tube”. fessor Terry Spithill will be joining that the problem-based approach will In research, the parasitology team Nick Sangster and Tiggy Grillo in pay off. at Camden (Herman Raadsma, Ken October. Terry is currently Director Beh and Anne Lenhart) and Sydney (Tony Rowe) have continued genomic and genetic research into markers and measures for gastroin- testinal nematode resistance through 2 AWI-MLA funded projects within sheep genomics. Two BSc(Vet) students, Nathan Quigley and Kwan Yun, have commenced Honours projects on Hae- monchus in 2007 and they were joined by 2 SheepGenomics vacation scholars, Verity Ambler and Kristy Mann for 4 weeks in January. On 16-17 November, an intensive workshop chaired by Nick Sangster and sponsored by the ARC/ NH&MRC Network and ASP oc- curred at USyd. The purpose was to move into top gear, the production of a definitive Australian Parasitology

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 17 At the end of March, the CRC Queensland Museum for Aboriginal Health held a round- table discussion with researchers Rob Adlard and Matt Nolan are on STATE NEWS the hunt for intermediate hosts of and key stakeholders involved in skin health projects in the Top End. Marteilia sydneyi (the causative NORTHERN It was a valuable opportunity for agent of QX disease in Sydney rock TERRITORY participants from a wide range of oysters) you may have seen them featured on 'Landline' and more re- backgrounds to come together to cently on 'Catalyst'. Matt has been TOP END NEWS enable research transfer and discus- busy extracting DNA from a swag of MENZIES SCHOOL OF sion of community skin health re- polychaete specimens col- HEALTH RESEARCH search priorities. It was also a lected towards the end of last year Congratulations are in order for PhD chance for our collaborators James and preliminary results look encour- student Kate Mounsey who recently McCarthy and Angelica Rose from aging. Mal Bryant is coming to grips submitted her thesis entitled QIMR to visit us and update us on with a new Collections Database Sys- “Molecular mechanisms of emerging their work on resistance mecha- tem (a Kiwi product called 'Vernon'). ivermectin resistance in scabies mites nisms in scabies mites. Fortunately the change-over hasn't from Northern Australia”. We are proved to be too traumatic and it's very pleased that Kate will be staying QUEENSLAND business as usual in Collection Man- on in the lab for the next six months agement. to continue with the excellent work Central Queensland University she began during her studies. We have recently welcomed to The group at CQU are living it up Queensland Institute of Medical the lab Bo Yang Baker who joins us unsupervised (so to speak) after Em Research after three years working at UCSF. Prof Lesley Warner headed off to Bo Yang’s background in protein Adelaide at the end of last year, but It looks as though only the students at expression, characterisation and ho- they are all still working hard! (or QIMR have been doing anything mology modelling, will greatly aid so they say ). Lesley now holds an news worthy of late (maybe the sen- our studies of scabies mite proteins. honorary position in the Parasitol- ior staff have been too busy with In other good news, Annette Dou- ogy Section of the South Australian their NHMRC grant applications). gall has been successful in securing Museum. Tegan Don from the Helminth Biol- money from the Network for Parasi- Eridani Mulder has recently ogy Laboratory was awarded her tology under the Researcher Ex- submitted her PhD thesis on the PhD from the University of Queen- change and Travel Program, to travel parasites of the predator, Liasis fus- sland for her studies on haemolysis in to Liverpool and Brazil. She has also cus, and its prey, Rattus colletti on blood-feeding helminths. Melissa received further financial support for the Adelaide River floodplain, Burke (Molecular Parasitology Lab, her trip from the Australian Biosecu- Northern Territory, Australia. QIMR) recently attended the Key- rity CRC which funds her PhD pro- Haylee Weaver is in the final stone meeting "Molecular Mecha- ject studying Leishmania. Annette stages of writing up her thesis, and nisms of Fibrosis" in Tahoe City, will first travel to the Liverpool will be submitting it in May. She is California. where she presented data School of Tropical Medicine where also getting used to the idea of leav- on liver fibrosis during schistosome she will work with Bruce Alexander ing the tropical climes of Rock- infections in a murine model. to further characterise the Australian hampton for the much more tem- Hong You (Molecular Parasitology isolates of Leishmania and compare perate Canberra, in pursuit of post Lab, QIMR) has returned from China them with well characterised isolates doctoral positions. after maternity leave to continue her from elsewhere in the world. She will Lee Barnett is still furiously PhD studies on insulin receptors in S. then travel with Bruce to Teresina in trying to measure up and assign japonicum. Brazil to gain valuable field experi- species to her stable of funky cer- Wendy Chung (Malaria Biology ence. She hopes to further hone her cariae from nassariid snails, in be- Laboratory) was recently awarded sand fly hunting and identification tween various other odd jobs. The her PhD from UQ for her studies on techniques, as well as undertake high point of Lee's April will be a Red Cell Polymorphisms and Malaria analysis of sand fly host preferences short visit to Tom Cribb's group at and Chris Peaty has returned to the by bloodmeal identification using UQ to check out how things are Malaria Biology lab after his honours RT-PCR. Annette will be glad of the done down there (as well as to success to start his PhD on Commit- break from the near constant rains of catch up with old friends from ment to Gametocytogenesis in P fal- the Top End wet season, which QHSS for a meal or two!). ciparum. haveproved a hindrance to field work, for humans and sand flies.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 18 Congratulations to Mai Tran (picture the communication between the below) who has been awarded a Full- CSIRO Livestock Industries groups through seminars, and identi- bright Scholarship. Mai is currently a Brisbane fying some potential sources for postdoctoral fellow in the Helminth funding of work on parasite ES prod- Laboratory. Mai is working with Gene Wijffels (CSIRO) and Mal ucts. The meeting was considered to Alex Loukas and colleagues in the Jones (QIMR) organised a one day have been a successful start to im- US and Brazil, her goal is to develop workshop entitled “Genomic and proving the communication between a vaccine for schistosomiasis. proteomic analyses of secretions of parasitic Helminths” on March 27 parasitology groups at QIMR, Mai has been awarded a Fulbright at the University of Qld. Robin CSIRO, UQ and QDPI&F. Scholarship (Postdoctoral Award) to Gasser was the guest speaker; the work in the laboratory of Professor organisers thank the ARC/NHMRC Queensland DPI&F Edward Pearce at the University of Research Network for Parasitology (Applied Animal Biotechnology Pennsylvania, Philadelphia to gain for funding Robin’s visit. Various and Biosecurity groups) experience in gene silencing using people spoke on their research in- RNA interference, a technique which terests in the use of genomic and The Beef CRC team have been busy she can also apply to other parasites proteomic techniques to examine doing a large tick challenge trial co- studied at QIMR. In addition, Mai host parasite relationships, with ordinated by Louise Jackson, Nick will also join the laboratory of Dr particular reference to ES products. Jonsson from UQ and our CRC post- Fred Lewis and Dr Matty Knight at Current research activities as well doc John Goopy. Along with the the Biomedical Research Institute in as ideas for future work were de- team Megan Jones, Emily Piper and Maryland to conduct more vaccine scribed. The meeting finished with anyone else here at Animal Research trials in mouse model of schistosomi- useful discussions on some com- Institute who showed any remote asis to determine the efficacy of Sm- mon areas of interest between the interest in holding cattle, bleeding TSP-2 as a schistosomiasis vaccine research groups, plans to continue and processing samples ! This has candidate. included Wayne Jorgensen, Cath- erine Minchin, Ryan O'Dell, and Sandy Jarret. Thanks to all for your help - weekly sampling continues until May. In February we farewelled Beck Byrnes who has gone onto big- ger and better things at DPI&F Ca- boolture and she has been replaced by Bart Wlodek who we have been recycling through different positions in our labs. Bart is now working with Jess Morgan, Anthea Bruyeres and Sandy Jarrett; together they are making their way through a mountain of chicken poo in the eternal search for Eimeria. Early March, Jan-Maree (Murphy) and Glen Hewitson gave birth to Veronica May ! Congrats from all of us (both previously part of our research group and still based at DPI&F).

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

SA Museum / University of Adelaide

In terms of field work and conference attendance, it’s been quiet in the Monogenean Research Laboratory of The South Australian Museum and the Marine Parasitology Laboratory

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 19 PhD student David Schmarr has also Chisholm. Now this task is done, taken employment. SARDI Aquatic both intend to get stuck into writing Sciences are employing David to some long overdue publications work on pelagic fish stock assess- STATE NEWS from the present two Discovery ment which is not that far removed grants which ‘expire’ this year. from his PhD study on stock dis- of The University of Adelaide. Cer- PhD student Vanessa Glennon, un- crimination of slimy mackerel using tainly it’s been industrious! PhD stu- der the watchful eye of PhD student genetics, otoliths and parasites as dent Kate Hutson has been writing, Lizzie Perkins, has been unleashed tags. Ian and co-supervisor, Dr Tim writing, writing …! She pulled to- in the molecular laboratories of the Ward (SARDI), hope that David will gether a final report for an FRDC South Australian Regional Facility keep momentum moving towards project on the potential for parasite for Molecular Evolution & Ecol- PhD submission later this year. Pro- interactions between wild and farmed ogy. Lizzie, who has been making fessor Lesley Warner’s ‘retirement’ kingfish, discrimination of farmed giant strides for monogenean phy- in Adelaide is now in full swing. The from wild fish and an assessment of logenetics and species boundary photograph (below) shows what Les- migratory behaviour based on tag and questions by getting to grips with lie’s office/laboratory at the South recapture studies. Finalising this pro- the mitochondrial genomes of some Australian Museum looked like in ject report was a useful prelude for capsalid Monogenea, has been early December. We’re happy to Kate to finalise her PhD thesis. In- keeping Vanessa on the straight and report that all boxes are now un- deed in recent weeks, five of her six narrow with all things molecular. packed! Lesley has been busy com- data chapters have either been pub- Vanessa’s PhD thesis will be the menting on drafts of thesis chapters lished, are in press or are accepted next cab off the rank later this year. from her PhD students, Haylee for publication. This is the first the- Ian and Leslie, her supervisors, will Weaver and Eridani Mulder, at CQU sis submission as a collection of pub- keep her to her September 2007 in Rockhampton. Lesley has also lications (rather than the ‘traditional’ submission date. But there’s no been involved in some dolphin dis- thesis) from the Marine Parasitology pressure, Vanessa! sections to help identify trematodes group in Adelaide. Kate has been PhD student Rissa Williams, and nematodes in cetacean carcasses passing drafts between her supervi- presently working for Biosecurity washed ashore in South Australia. sors Ingo Ernst in Canberra and Ian New Zealand in Wellington, will Retirement indeed! Whittington in Adelaide. The end is return to Adelaide for 2 weeks over nearly in sight. In fact Kate hopes to Easter to do some more sample submit by the end of March 2007 and processing towards her PhD studies TASMANIA plans to be thesis-free over the Easter seeking effective oral chemothera- period. peutants against Monogenea infect- Congratulations to Melanie Leef, Other industrious events have in- ing farmed kingfish. Ingo and Ian Carley Bagley and Robert Gurney cluded the submission of two lottery hope that the sight of Kate Hutson’s who all graduated with their PhDs in tickets to the ARC Discovery grant recently submitted PhD thesis will 2006. Also congratulations to Re- scheme by Ian and Leslie spur on Rissa to completing her becca van Gelderen whose PhD the- own thesis over the next year. sis has been approved. PhD student Neil Young spent some time at Prof Ben Koop's laboratory at University of Victoria in Can- ada. He was working on gene expression in salmon in later stages of Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD). Pro- fessor Ben Koop leads the consortium for Genomics Research on All Salmon Project (cGRASP). This is a Genome Canada funded project which has established itself as a leader in salmonid genomics. One of the outcomes of this project is the development and construction of 16,000 gene cDNA microarray con- taining genes which are expressed under a variety of conditions in At- lantic salmon and rainbow trout. We had previously formed a good collaboration with Dr. Ben Koop’s

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 20 The workshop was a mixture of lectures and hands-on laboratory classes, individuals from seven fish species were investigated in detail. PhD students Renee Florent and Matt Jones have been busy with lab trials. Renee is working on AGD treatment and Matt on the effect of gill diseases on metabolic rates. They presented their most recent results to salmon industry in March this year. We finished all our field work for Aquafin CRC/FRDC funded project on tuna health in Port Lin- coln in late 2006. This meant we had to say goodbye to Dr Craig Hayward, who was a postdoctoral research fellow on this project and was the only staff member based in laboratory and as part of this ongoing diseases. During her stay Dr Dyk- Port Lincoln. We wish Craig all collaboration Neil spent a month in ová (above and below) organised a the best and will miss him. PhD their laboratories comparing the gene workshop on parasites and partici- student Hamish Aiken who was expression in gill tissues of AGD- pated in our research on also based in Port Lincoln for the affected gill tissue to that of control Neoparamoeba spp. taxonomy. duration of his field work moved to fish. The technical aspects of per- The workshop "Technique for the Adelaide to write up his PhD. forming microarray experiments are study of fish-infecting eukaryotic well established but can be techni- microorganisms" was run in Hobart VICTORIA cally challenging. Neil was fortunate 6-7 February 2007. The workshop Animal Biotechnology Research to have the opportunity to work with was attended by 12 participants, Laboratory Monash University Glenn Cooper whose technical exper- including 3 PhD students, 1 veteri- After a relaxing Christmas break, tise and knowledge ensured the pro- narian, 2 salmon industry employ- all ABRLites are back in the lab with ject proceeded smoothly and effi- ees, 1 CSIRO researcher and 5 Uni- their noses to the grindstone. We are ciently. Not only can it be challeng- versity of Tasmania employees. now well settled here at Monash Uni- ing to obtain good quality data, inter- All participants received workshop versity and look forward to a produc- pretation of these large data sets is materials - a set of notes prepared tive 2007. also a difficult component of these by Dr Lom and Dyková, and a During the summer, we had two experiments. Neil used leading soft- CDROM with the most important vacation students, Cecilia and Sarah. ware packages made available in Pro- publications of this area. fessor Koop’s laboratory to analyse Cecilia, under the supervision of Jo- his data. We showed differentiation anna Kemp, was very busy cutting of hundreds of genes in AGD- and staining sections of tissue from a affected fish, of these the immune trial completed last year. Thank you genes were well represented. Once to the Australian Wool Innovation for Neil validates these results using real supporting her work. Cecilia is now time PCR he will be better able to working with Joanna once a week describe the immune response of while she studies for her Bachelor of AGD-affected salmon and its role in Biomedical Sciences at Deakin. disease. Neil's travel was supported Sarah, a Science/Engineering student by ARC/NHMRC Research Network was awarded a departmental scholar- for Parasitology and Aquafin CRC. ship and supervised by Michael de Funding from ARC/NHMRC Re- Veer to look at novel nematode anti- search Network for Parasitology also gens. Michael Lees, a PhD student supported Dr Iva Dyková's visit to co-supervised by CLI in Brisbane Tasmania. Dr Dyková, Institute for and ABRL came down to sunny Mel- Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sci- bourne to confirm his candidature ence is a world expert on fish- and begin some quantitative RT- associated amoebae and amoebic PCR.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 21 Department of Primary Indus- Associate Professor Fabio Piano, at tries Victoria, NYU, to work on early embryonic Attwood Centre development in C. elegans. STATE NEWS We welcome back Nina Gatt from The Novartis Vaccine Project held Maternity Leave, and wish Alison its final project review in March Bant and Doris Ram success in their Michael is working on the role of this year, with the target validation pursue of books! – both are taking free radicals in nematode rejection pipeline almost complete. It was a leave to complete their further stud- and is supervised by an illustrious timely opportunity to reflect on this ies. team consisting of Andrew Kotze, wonderful partnership between No- Kind regards to all our colleagues David Piedrafita, Aaron Ingham and vartis Animal Health and the De- from all of us in the Nematode Vac- Sue McClure. Nick Robinson has partment of Primary Industries. cine Program, Molecular Biology, progressed to the dreaded part of all Over the 10+ years of the collabo- DPI Attwood, and we look forward PhDs, the write up phase. Since the ration, many staff and students have to seeing many of you at ASP in last newsletter, Nick has altered his enjoyed a nurturing environment to Canberra in the coming months. course post-PhD and decided to pur- explore, question, and push our un- For any queries contact Dadna sue his Residency in Anatomic Vet- derstanding of Haemonchus contor- Hartman, Molecular Biology, DPI- erinary Pathology at the University of tus. During this time we were able Attwood, (03) 92174 286, Minnesota. During his three years of to develop methodologies to study [email protected] study, he will also get a chance to and have access to the various life follow his research interests. Nick cycle stages – something that could Faculty of Veterinary Science has set himself a tight schedule for not have been achieved without the writing up his thesis as he needs to expertise of Paul Presidente (thank University of Melbourne leave for the States on June 14. Good you Paul!). In addition, we were Werribee luck Nick!! able to apply new capabilities in We have been fortunate to have two functional genomics to establish Congratulations must first go to An- visitors over the past few months. robust target selection and valida- drew Read whose PhD thesis on Jorge Gonzalez, from the University tion pipelines. Whilst this phase of Identification of Mimotopes on the de las Palmas, Canary Islands, and our collaboration is all but over, EG95 Hydatid Vaccine was passed Terry Spithill from McGill Univer- Novartis and DPI recognise the and accepted. sity, Canada. Jorge is no stranger to uniqueness of this partnership and The Cestode Vaccine group also the team, having visited with David are working together to put in place welcomes a new member to its team. Piedrafita and Els Meeusen a couple avenues for future collaborations. Abdul Jabbar, a lecturer from the of years ago.He has used his time at On other fronts, the later stages of Department of Veterinary Parasitol- ABRL to brush up on his skills in the target discovery GINTIP project ogy, University of Agriculture, Fais- immunohistochemistry and write have seen a focus on the use pro- alabad, Pakistan has commenced a some papers. It has been a great teomics to look at membrane pro- PhD project on characterization of pleasure to have Jorge with us and teomes for H. contortus. The team the EG95 gene family from different we look forward to continuing our is now finishing the bioinformatics strains of Echinococcus granulosus. collaboration. Terry of course is a analysis of these studies cross refer- Marshall Lightowlers and PhD stu- familiar face at Monash University encing with our in-house and Gen- dent César Jayashi recently attended and spent two weeks of his sabbatical bank sequences. On the RNAi a Wellcome Trust Conference in the leave with us catching up on writing front, the new project in collabora- UK entitled Animal Health Research; papers. A number of international tion with ANU and CSIRO is ex- Recent Developments and Future visitors will be arriving at ABRL this pected to commence any minute Directions. year, making our lab a truly multicul- now, and will focus on the applica- Shokoofeh Shamsi must also be tural place. tion of RNAi as a validation tool. congratulated for recently submitting David Piedrafita and Terry The three-year project is expected her PhD thesis on identification of Spithill have just left to the Sudan to to support undergraduate and post- Anasakid nematodes. After present- run a 3 week workshop entitled ‘A graduate students – so if you are ing her thesis completion oration, National Training Course on the Di- interested in pursuing postgraduate Shokoofeh is now looking for a post- agnosis and Prevention of Fasciolosis studies in this area please contact doc position so if there is anyone out in Cattle’ organised by the Interna- Jody Zawadzki or Dadna Hartman. there who is interested in offering her tional Atomic Energy Agency. We To this end we welcome Joanne one please contact her. Another stu- wish them both a very safe and suc- Hughes, who is doing her Honours dent supervised by Ian Beveridge, cessful trip. project with us in this area and will Duncan Borland, has completed a be co-supervised by Mark Sande- Bachelor of Animal Science project man, La Trobe University. investigating the role of parasites in

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 22 kangaroo mortalities at Serendip and associated trypanosomes and in Geneva, and collaborators from Sanctuary. Ian is very happy, given their role in driving multi-annual the Centre for Drug Candidate Opti- that he will no longer be finding rot- population cycles in microtine ro- misation at Monash, Caroline ting kangaroo heads being left in dents in Scotland. He is currently Laverty, visited Murdoch for a pro- desk drawers. This is surprising, involved in a project that aims to ject meeting. given that Ian is well known for be- investigate the diversity and abun- Andy T is visiting Mahidol Univer- ing very efficient with the odd kanga- dance of ectoparasites and patho- sity in Bangkok in late March for a roo carcass or two and one would gens infesting a range of rare and meeting on the Laos zoonoses project expect that his senses are quite numb endangered species throughout with Jamie Conlan and Stuart Black- from all the practice he’s had. Western Australia. In his spare time sell from the Mahidol-Oxford Tropi- Best wishes to Genevieve Morris Andrew enjoys beach fishing, fine cal Medicine Research unit (and who recently accepted an appoint- wine and camping with his fam- came across Brendan Crabb in the ment as Tutor in animal science, Fac- ily…… and the odd bit of feral Siam City Hotel pool who is here ulty of Land and Food Resources, hunting in the bush near Geraldton. running a transfection workshop with University of Melbourne. Cinzia Andrew Mikosza has commenced other colleagues from WEHI), and Cantacessi, a veterinarian from Bari, a dynamic new project in collabora- then on to the Institute of Parasitol- Italy has joined Robin Gasser’s group tion with and funded by Sydney ogy in Zurich, followed by the Uni- as a PhD student working on a pro- Water developing a novel diagnos- versity of Ghent to examine a PhD ject entitled “Developmentally regu- tic for several waterborne infectious lated genes in Haemonchus contor- agents. We also welcome three DEPARTMENT OF tus”. Also new to the group is Arad- new PhD students to the Parasitol- AGRICULTURE AND FOOD hana Pangasa who is working on epi- ogy group. Amanda Ash will inves- demiology of Cryptosporidium and tigate parasites of the painted dog Work towards the new Sheep CRC Shane Riddell, from CSIRO Gee- (Lycaon pictus) looking at popula- has dominated life for Brown Besier, long, who is working on a PhD tions in several parts of Africa as as the existing one winds down to project entitled “Genetic, genomic well as captive populations in zoos cease in June and the new one kicks in Australia. Jamie Conlan will and proteomic characterization of off in July. Although the new CRC spearhead a project in Laos looking Eimeria”. includes a smaller parasitology effort at Taenia solium, Trichinella and than in the present CRC, people in other zoonoses in pigs; and Nguyen several institutes will be involved, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Phong Lan from the Division of with Brown as leader of the sub- Enteric Infections in Hanoi who program. The main activities will MURDOCH UNIVERSITY will be working on the molecular centre around further investigations Parasitology group epidemiology of enteric protozoan into the strategy of "targeted treat- infections of humans and animals in ment" for sheep worms (only drench- We welcomed Andy Smith as a Vietnam in collaboration with Pro- ing sheep which need it), new diag- new Research Fellow on an ARC fessor Cam in Hanoi. nostic tests for parasites, and genetic Linkage project with colleagues from Joseph Ndung'u from the Geneva- relationships of parasite related-traits the Department of the Environment based funding organization, Foun- with a wide variety of production and Conservation that will investi- dation for Innovative New Diag- ones. Rob Woodgate is still waiting gate the nature, diversity and poten- nostics, visited the Parasitology on news regarding further funding by tial impact of infectious agents in group in January for project discus- Australian Wool Innovation of the Western Australian threatened mam- sions with Andy T, Zablon Njiru, Integrated Parasite Management- mals. Tanya Armstrong and Andrew Sheep project, especially for further Andy Smith joined the Parasitology Mikosza. The project has been ex- investigation into hypobiosis in Os- group as an ARC APDI Research tremely successful and Zablon has tertagia (sorry, Teladorsagia) circum- Fellow in January 2007 working with now left to field-trial a newly de- cincta. Dieter Palmer has scaled up Andy Thompson and Alan Lymbery. veloped diagnostic for human work on sheep worm egg detection Prior to this he was engaged as an sleeping sickness in several African by antibodies and lectin binding of adjunct member of Murdoch staff countries. fluorescent labels to identify nema- since November 2005 and has been Andy Thompson and Wayne Best tode eggs to genus. All of us await involved with CALM/DEC on a vol- from Epichem recently participated the start of winter rains, which brings untary basis in conjunction with the in the Keystone Symposium in more parasite action, and with it, woylie (Bettongia penicillata) dis- Lake Tahoe on ‘Drugs and Proto- more diagnostic work - but while it ease reference council. For his PhD zoan Infections’ and presented re- stays dry, we have a bit more time for Andy investigated the dynamics of sults of their DNDi-funded project. research. If it's like last year, we'll ectoparasites (fleas, ticks and mites) Subsequently, Rob Don from DNDi have a lot of the latter !

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 23 Notice of proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Australian Society for Parasitology Inc.

In accordance with Article IX of the Constitution of the Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. notice is hereby given of a proposal to amend Articles VI and XIII of the Constitution at the Annual General Meeting of the Society in Can- berra, Australia, 8th July 2007.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS

ARTICLE IV. ADMINISTRATION

Section 2 Paragraph 2) All officers of the Society, with the exception of the Editor(s) and Newsletter Editor, for the ensuing term shall be elected by each General Business Meeting at which postal and proxy votes will be accepted.

Paragraph 3) The Editor(s), Newsletter Editor and Webmaster shall be elected for a period of three (3) years and then subject to re-election for further periods of three years with no limit to the number of years of continuous service.

The following amendments are proposed

Section 2, Paragraph 2: Insert after “and webmaster” the words “and archivist” Section 2, Paragraph 3: Insert after “Newsletter Editor” the word “Archivist”

The constitution states that the position of Archivist is an annual position but the Archivist roles require more than a year commitment. It is therefore proposed that the position of Archivist become Council elected.

ARTICLE XIII. STUDENT TRAVEL GRANTS

Eligibility for Scientific Meeting Travel Grants to assist members attending scientific meetings of the Society is limited to bona fide students who are enrolled at a recognized Australian University and for an additional period of one year following completion of their studies. Eligibility for Scientific Travel Grants is further limited to individuals who have been financial members for at least six months prior to the General Business Meeting. Applicants who have completed their postgraduate studies will additionally be required to present a paper at the scientific meeting for which the grant is awarded.

It is proposed that the article should read:

Eligibility for Scientific Meeting Travel Grants to assist members attending scientific meetings of the Society is limited to bona fide students who are enrolled at a recognized Australian University and for an additional period of one year following completion of their studies. Eligibility for Scientific Travel Grants is further limited to individuals who have been financial members for at least three (3) months prior to the General Business Meeting. Applicants who have completed their postgraduate studies will additionally be required to present a paper at the scientific meeting for which the grant is awarded.

This change is necessary, because the ASP meeting has been held in July for the past few years and the next few years. This early timing of the conference has made new student members of the ASP ineligible for the Student Travel Grants. It is felt by Council that by relaxing the conditions of prior membership, we will encourage more students to attend the ASP conferences.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 24

2007 ASP & ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology Annual Conference Marque Hotel, Canberra July 8-11, 2007 Application for Student Travel Grant

The Australian Society for Parasitology provides support for full-time students enrolled in a higher degree at a recognized Australian University, and for recent graduates of less than 1 year’s duration, to attend the ASP conference. The amount awarded is decided each year by Council and provides assistance towards travel and accommodation costs, and conference registration. To apply for the grant, please complete the form below and send to the current Executive Secretary of the ASP.

The conditions of the grant are: 1. The applicant must provide evidence (signature from head of department) that they are currently, or were recently, enrolled for a higher degree. 2. The student must have been a member of the Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. for at least 3 months prior to the commencement of the conference (ie. prior to 8th April, 2007). 3. It is not essential for current students to present a paper at the conference to be eligible for the award. However, we do strongly ENCOURAGE students to present their work, even if they have obtained preliminary data. 4. Details of travel and accommodation costs must be provided with this application. Copies of receipts must be provided to the ASP Treasurer at the conference. 5. Travel Grants will be disbursed in person at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Society. 6. Closing date for Applications: 30 April 2007

I …………………………………………………………………………………. certify that I am a post-graduate student enrolled at

…………………………………………………………………………………. and that I am enrolled as a full-time student.

I further certify that I have registered as a full student registrant at the conference. If presenting, my presentation/poster is entitled:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Name of Principal Supervisor ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Name of Head of Department ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Department/School ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......

Institution ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......

City/State/post code ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......

Signature of Student …………………………………….. Signature of Head of Dept……………………………………………………

Send completed form to: Dr Danielle Smyth, Executive Secretary of the ASP, PO Box 60, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, QLD, 4029.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 25 Positions available

PhD at Murdoch University

Are you interested in the discovery of new drugs to fight disease?

Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship funded by Environmental Biotechnology CRC (www.ebcrc.com.au) and tenable at Murdoch University. The overall goal of the project is to identify and characterise novel, naturally produced bioactive molecules that can be used for the control of microbial pathogens. Applicants should possess a first class or high second class Honours degree or a Masters Degree in the biological sciences, veterinary sciences, pharmacological sciences, or chemistry.

The scholarship will provide a stipend of $A 25,000 per year, tax-free for 3 and a half years (fees are also included but only for New Zealand and Australian citizens and permanent residents, otherwise international fees apply). Additional funding includes laboratory expenses, local and overseas conference travel and assistance with thesis costs. The project is based in the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Mur- doch University, Western Australia (www.murdoch.edu.au):

All candidates interested in this project, or for further information, please contact:

Dr Ryan O’Handley School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Murdoch University South Street, Murdoch Western Australia 6150 Phone: (61-8) 9360 2457 Fax: (61-8) 9310 4144 Email: [email protected]

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 26 CONFERENCES The 8th Invertebrate

Biodiversity & Conservation Conference 2007

“Pacific Priorities” \

Queensland Museum 3 – 7 December 2007

An invitation is extended to participate in the 8th Invertebrate Biodiversity & Conservation Conference 2007 “Pacific Priorities” being held in Brisbane at the Brisbane Convention & Ex- hibition Centre from 3 – 7 December 2007.

For the first time this meeting will include a specific focus on parasites (PARASITE DIVER- SITY) in a session to be chaired by Tom Cribb and Rob Adlard. The goal of the symposium (and we hope the contributed papers) will be to review the status of parasite biodiversity research in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, with emphasis on the mechanisms of diversity discovery, and its relevance in ecosystem ecology, commerce and human health.

Other Symposia will include

• MARINE MEGADIVERSITY • INVASIVE SPECIES • NEW CALEDONIA • SURVIVAL IN SUBURBIA • FIRE • INVERTEBRATE SALVAGE

If you are interested in participating in the Conference:

Visit the WEB-site (http://www.ibcc2007.org) or contact Dr R. Adlard ([email protected]) or Dr Tom Cribb ([email protected]).

Registrations open May 1st 2007

Abstracts are due by August 6th. 2007

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 27 Nominations for Details of visiting specialist December of the preceding year. Each Bancroft-Mackerras Medal scholarship will be up to the value of, but not An up-to-date curriculum vitae must be exceeding, $A2000. For research-based The Bancroft-Mackerras Medal may be attached to the application. The following proposals, applicants should nominate the awarded to a member of the Society who, in details should be supplied: international laboratory they intend to visit, the opinion of the selection committee, has the purpose of the visit and the time frame. made an outstanding contribution to the • Date and place of birth A short, abstract-length (approximately 250 science of parasitology, particularly in work • Present nationality (and former words) proposal of the techniques and skills published during the last five years. nationality, if applicable) to be gained should be attached. • Present position held Nominations should be made by a proposer • Full address of employing institution, For travel that primarily involves attendance and seconder, and should consist of: including phone, fax and Email at a conference, applicants must nominate the numbers conference, supply an abstract and justify • A detailed statement of nomination • Detailed evidence of expertise in their attendance at a recognised international describing the nature of the "outstanding relevant conference preferably though not exclusively contribution to the science of discipline (list of publications, etc.). held outside of the Australasian region. parasitology" for which he/she has been responsible. The statement should be Details of Australian nominator The award will only be made once proof is received of acceptance of the abstract by the signed by the proposer and seconder, or conference organisers. If the student does each may submit a separate statement. • Name of member organizing the visit, not attend the conference the ASP funds including full address, phone, fax and must be returned to the Society. On return • A curriculum vitae including a list of all Email numbers publications. from the Conference a short report must be • Details of all other applications which written to the Council detailing the student’s have been made for financial assistance Note that the Medal is intended for members experiences. Applicants should apply to the towards travel/accommodation costs. current ASP Secretary giving details of the whose research program has been productive Total value of other contributions must during the last five years. The permission of conference, their research and supervisor’s be included. support plus an abbreviated c.v. and the nominee is not required and the nominee need not be aware of the nomination. conference abstract, as outlined on the ac- Details of program companying application form. The

Nominations should be sent direct to the application must not number more than 6 The program should normally last a pages including the c.v. and abstract. current ASP President. Detailed information minimum of 2 working weeks and cover at on nomination and selection procedures is Applications must be received by the next least 2 States or Territories. due dates of June 30th or December 31st each given in the By-Laws of the ASP Details should include: Constitution. Nominations are due each year year. at the end of October. • Date of visit • Program being arranged, including institutions to be visited (with dates) Nominations for and the purpose of each visit (lecture, ASP Invited Lectureship Travel Grants seminar, workshop, research discussion, etc) To complement the scientific presentations at • Aims, rationale and likely benefits of the Scientific Meetings of the ASP, overseas visit researchers of international reputation in a Contribution to be made at Society's field of parasitology may be invited to attend • Scientific Meeting and present their work. The invited speaker's expertise must be common to a discipline or Applications plus supporting documentation symposium conducted at the Scientific should be sent to the ASP President by the Meeting. The visitor must be nominated by a end of December in the year preceding the member of the Society. Conference. Applicants should check with

the Conference Organisers for details of The Society will provide a travel grant to conference theme, symposia, workshops, etc. assist in the finance of the trip. The support before submitting an aapplication. will be based on an economy class direct ______return airfare from the recipient's home city to Australia, the necessary interstate travel and reasonable living expenses based on JD Smyth Travel Awards actual costs. Registration at the Scientific These awards are specifically designed to Meeting will also be included. assist postgraduate students travel interna-

tionally to conduct research and/or to present The total value of the lectureship will be their research at international conferences. determined by Council but it is expected that Applicants must be members of the ASP Inc. the recipient, or his/her Australian sponsor, of at least 6 months standing and enrolled in will also seek to provide additional or a postgraduate degree at an Australian alternative financial support. university.

Applicants must include the following Four scholarships will be awarded each year information: and applications will be considered in two

rounds with closing dates in June and

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 28 Application form for JD SMYTH Travel Award

Name: ...... …………………………...

Address: ...... …………………………….

...... ……………………….

Phone: ...... Fax: ...... ………..

Email: ...... ………………...

University: ...... …………………………..

Enrolled Degree: ...... ………………...

Supervisor’s Certification I hereby affirm that the above-named person is a bona fide postgraduate student under my supervision.

Signed: ...... Date: ......

______Laboratory Details (for research applications) Laboratory to be visited …………………………………………………………………………………………..

Address …………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Purpose of Visit ……………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………

______Conference Details (for applications to attend conferences) Conference Title: ...... …………………….

Venue: ......

Conference Address: ...... Title of Abstract (Please attach a copy of the abstract): ......

......

Author(s) ...... Awards will only be paid on receipt of proof that the abstract has been accepted. ______For all applications: Attach statement justifying attendance, budget (include all other support), brief curriculum vitae [application not to exceed 6 pages]

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 29 THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY FOR PARASITOLOGY INC

Secretariat: ASP Inc c/- RGSQ, 237 Milton Road, Milton QLD 4064 Fax: (07) 3367 1011 Email: [email protected] APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP Tax Invoice ABN: 65 979 686 445

Surname: ...... Given name(s): ...... Title: . . . . . Email: ......

Postal address: ......

Telephone: ...... Fax: ......

Signature: ...... Date: ......

*Proposed by (Name): ...... (Signature): ......

*Seconded by (Name): ...... (Signature): ......

*The Society’s Constitution requires that the Applicant be known personally to at least one of the sponsors for membership. Both the proposer and seconder must be members of the Society.

This application must be accompanied by payment of one year’s subscription in Australian dollars: $80 for full members (Inc GST), $20 for student members (Inc GST)†, $500 (Inc GST) for sustaining members. I enclose a cheque or money order for A$ payable to the “Australian Society for Parasitology Inc.” † Applicants for student membership must have the following statement signed.

Registered Higher Degree: ...... Institution: ...... Signature of Head of Department: ......

OR please debit my (tick one) Visa Bankcard Mastercard Card number: ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ Expiry date: ⎯ ⎯ / ⎯ ⎯ Cardholder name: ______Cardholder signature: ______Applications for membership are considered by a Committee of the ASP and applicants duly notified.

Amount received Office use only Date elected: ...... Elected by: ......

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 30

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

If you have changed your address, title or name; or if there is a mistake in your mailing label, please fill out the details below and send them to:

ASP Secretariat, c/- RGSQ 237 Milton Road Milton QLD 4064

Name as it appears on present mailing label: (if possible, please enclose the old mailing label)

......

Title, name and postal address for future mailing labels:

...... Tel: ...... Fax: ...... Email: ......

Printed by: Lighthouse Press, Macquarie University.

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 31

2007 ASP & ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology

Annual Conference

8th to 11th July

Chifley on Northbourne Hotel, Canberra Invited speaker theme topics: • Functional Genomics • Evolutionary Biology of Parasites • Parasites in Wildlife and Conservation Biology • Immunology, Immunomodulation and Vaccines • Drug Targets, Drugs and Drug Resistance in Tropical Para- sites (co-sponsored by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene as part of its Centenary Year Celebrations)

Registration closes 7th May Information at www.parasite.org.au/arcnet

Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. NEWSLETTER page 32