OFFICIALOFFFIICIAL JOURNALJOURNAL OFOF THETHE AUSTRALIANAUSTRALIAN SOCIETYSOCIETY FORFOR MICROBIOLOGYMICROBIOLOGY INC.INC. VolumeVolume 3434 NumberNumber 11 MarchMarch 20132013 ASMASM AdelaideAdelaide 7–107–10 JulyJuly 20132013 The Australian Society for Microbiology Inc. OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY INC. 210/55 Flemington Road North Melbourne, Vic. 3051 Tel: 1300 656 423 Volume 34 Number 1 March 2013 Fax: 03 9329 1777 Email: [email protected] www.theasm.org.au ABN 24 065 463 274 Contents For Microbiology Australia Vertical Transmission 2 correspondence, see address below. Paul Young Editorial team Prof. Ian Macreadie, Mrs Jo Macreadie Guest and Mrs Hayley Macreadie Editorial 3 Editorial Board Veterinary microbiology 3 Dr Chris Burke (Chair) Dr John Merlino Mary Barton Prof. Mary Barton Dr Wieland Meyer Prof. Linda Blackall Prof. William Rawlinson In Focus 4 Prof. Sharon Chen Dr Paul Selleck Prof. Peter Coloe Prof. Lindsay Sly Fighting transboundary animal diseases: a battle for global 4 Dr Narelle Fegan Dr David Smith food security Dr Ruth Foxwell Ms Helen Smith William Wong and Mark Schipp Dr Geoff Hogg Prof. John Turnidge Dr Ipek Kurtböke Dr Paul Young “Gone in the back legs” 8 Dr Gary Lum Richard Malik, Derek Spielman and Jan Šlapeta Subscription rates The changing roles of veterinary laboratories in Australia 12 Current subscription rates are available from the ASM Melbourne offi ce. Rob Rahaley Editorial correspondence Foot-and-mouth disease: a persistent threat 18 Prof. Ian Macreadie/Mrs Jo Macreadie Wilna Vosloo Tel: 0402 564 308 (Ian) Email: [email protected] Under the Microscope 22 Published four times a year Aquatic animals; endemic and exotic bacterial pathogens 22 in print and open access online by Nicky Buller Vets versus pets: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 25 in Australian animals and their doctors Darren Trott, David Jordan, Mary Barton, Sam Abraham 150 Oxford Street and Mitchell Groves Collingwood, Vic. 3066 http://microbiology.publish.csiro.au Bacteriophage therapy 28 Publishing enquiries Kate Hodgson Richard Hecker An update on the MLST scheme for Pasteurella multocida 32 Email: [email protected] Pat Blackall Production enquiries Helen Pavlatos Intestinal Spirochaetes and Brachyspiral colitis 34 Email: [email protected] David J Hampson Advertising enquiries Serine proteases and ovine footrot 37 Wendy Wild Tel: 03 9662 7606 Xiaoyan Han, Ruth M Kennan and Julian I Rood Mobile: 0414 902 282 Bovine ephemeral fever: cyclic resurgence of a climate-sensitive 41 Email: [email protected] vector-borne disease © 2013 The Australian Society for Microbiology Inc. The ASM, through CSIRO Publishing, reserve all rights Peter J Walker to the content, artwork and photographs in Microbiology Australia. Permission to reproduce text, photos and Multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria 43 artwork must be sought from CSIRO Publishing. Hanna E Sidjabat, Witchuda Kamolvit, Alexander Wailan The Australian Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent and David L Paterson amendments permit downloading and use of an article by an individual or educational institution for non- Michael Desmond Connole: Veterinary Mycologist 47 commercial personal use or study. Multiple reproduction Justine S Gibson of any Microbiology Australia article in a study block is governed by rights agreement managed by Copyright Agency Limited and fees may apply. Perspective 51 Authors published in Microbiology Australia have the The Yersinia story: A proof of the Laurentia and Australia 51 moral right under Australian law to be acknowledged as the creator. continents link ISSN 1324-4272 Jeanette Pham While reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content, the Australian Society for Micro- ASM Affairs 55 biology, CSIRO, and CSIRO PUBLISHING accept no responsibility for any loss or damage from the direct or Tribute to Nancy Millis 55 indirect use of or reliance on the content. The opinions Jim Pittard expressed in articles, letters, and advertisements in Microbiology Australia are not necessarily those of the Cover images: Photomicrograph of neural angiostrongylosis (provided by Derek Spielman), Australian Society for Microbiology, the Editorial Board, CSIRO, and CSIRO PUBLISHING. Veterinary Pathology Diagnostic Services Laboratory (provided by Mark Krockenberger), both from the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. MICROBIOLOGY AUSTRALIA • MARCH 2013 1 Vertical Transmission you further improvements and developments to the journal over coming issues. Our thanks to Mary Barton, the guest editor for this edition of MA, who has put together an excellent series of highly informative In Focus and Under the Microscope contributions under the banner of Veterinary Microbiology. From the impact on global food security of the cross-country spread of animal diseases to the incidence of exotic bacterial pathogens in aquatic animals, the broad array of issues covered in this issue signals considerable activity in this field in Australia. Paul Young Since the last Vertical Transmission, the Society has appointed Peter Traynor as Chair of the Visiting Speakers Program – welcome on President of ASM board Peter. Peter has already brought considerable organisational and coordination skills to the position and is actively working with State branches, Divisional Chairs and NSAC to build the 2013 program. If you have any suggestions for speakers who could be Happy New Year and welcome to the first issue of Microbiology supported through the VSP scheme please contact Peter directly Australia for 2013, the first with our new publishing partner, CSIRO (check the ASM website) or via the national office. Publishing. I would like to take this opportunity to express the The annual meeting, to be held this year in Adelaide from 7–10 July, Society’s warmest thanks to Cambridge Publishing for their is fast approaching – where have the first two months of the year many years of excellent service. The transition has been a smooth gone! The invited international and national speakers are all in place one and we are genuinely excited about the new online format that and the tentative Program is now available for viewing at the meeting has already lead to significant improvements in both accessibility website (http://asmmeeting.theasm.org.au/). This exceptional and flexibility. This flexibility will allow us to more easily respond to group of speakers that the Program Committee has put together reader suggestions – please get in touch with us if you have any ensures that we will have a very exciting series of talks by leaders in suggestions for additional content or changes to the format their respective fields. While there are a plethora of smaller, spe- ([email protected]), as well as provide us with an extra avenue cialist meetings now in play across Australia every year, the annual for more effective dissemination of information about Society and ASM meeting still offers the only opportunity to immerse yourself in member activities. Many of you will also be pleased to hear that we cutting-edge science that covers the broad, cross-disciplinary field of have re-introduced a printed version of the journal, which will be microbiology. So set aside these three days for this important winging its way to you each quarter. All members will receive this networking opportunity for all microbiologists! Early-bird registra- printed version of the journal unless you have chosen the option not tions and abstract submissions (for oral presentation consideration) to receive a hard copy when you completed your most recent yearly are due on the 5 April. subscription. You can access and select this option at any time by logging in to your member profile area on the ASM home page. In See you all in Adelaide in July! consultation with all of our members, we look forward to bringing From the Editorial Team Welcome to a new era for Microbiology Australia with a new of the journal. We are grateful for the support the Editorial Board publisher and a return to print format in addition to a new own provides with suggestions, guest editing and occasional reviewing of line version. I would like to thank Cambridge Media for articles. We are also grateful to Guest Editors who are experts in their their support in our time as editors of Microbiology Australia, fields. They use their opportunity as Guest Editors to present the since 2006. latest knowledge in their field through the selection of contributors who summarise their areas into compact articles that are readable In looking to the future, I congratulate the ASM Executive for making and informative to the ASM’s diverse membership. A list of future bold decisions to return to print and to improve the utility of themes and their Guest Editors are shown in the box on page 7. In Microbiology Australia, not only for ASM members but for con- addition the media is informed and contributions may be used in tributors, sustaining members, advertisers and the communities we media reports and some international websites now have direct links serve. When our new procedures come into full operation you can to some of our issues. Finally we thank the reviewers, who provide expect to receive your print issues in early March, May, September valuable comments on each contribution. They also have expertise and November, while the electronic versions will be available soon in the articles they review, and they provide valuable comments to after final contributions are received, which in most cases will be at contributors to ensure the articles are appropriately presented. least 2 weeks before the print version appears. As always, ideas and suggestions are always welcomed. Our new publisher, CSIRO Publishing, brings a wealth of experience in publishing and you can expect to find a great deal of improve- The Editorial Team: Hayley, Jo and Ian Macreadie ments, so I encourage you to explore both the print and on-line versions. The issues are a great resource for teaching, and some issues continue to have very high download rates to many interna- tional teaching institutions years after their first publication.