Learn from COVID, use DNA tech in FMD fight, say genomics experts

However, it was being overshadowed by border security strengthening and other more traditional measures, possibly due to the misperception it was a 'futuristic' technology rather than a 'here and now' one, they warn.

Global genomic company Illumina says Australia's livestock industries could cash in on the lessons learned from the public health response to COVID-19 and build next generation genomic sequencing into its preparedness.

"Genomic technology could revolutionise Australia's biosecurity and it is important to take action now with an outbreak of the devastating livestock virus FMD in Indonesia earlier this year highlighting what is at stake," said Robert McBride, who leads the Illumina Asia Pacific team.

The technical expertise, skills and capacity to use genomics to help manage animal and plant diseases was available in Australia and could be rolled out quickly, he said.

"Unfortunately, the power of this and other emerging technologies was overshadowed in the recent Senate Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport report on biosecurity preparedness," he said.

"Emerging technologies could play a very important part in the biosecurity research, development and extension strategy that the committee recommended, but they were not explicitly mentioned in recommendations."

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Simon Giuliano, Illumunia commercial lead for Australia, said one of the lessons from COVID was that new virus strains that don't necessarily have a pre-existing reference emerge.

"For the most part, older technologies will give you a 'yes/no' answer as to whether a pathogen is present but this technology is a non-hypothesised look at what is actually in a sample," he explained.

"So you might not be looking for a particular bug but it will show up because you are capturing everything in a sample.

"If that variant has been seen before, we can look at how it has moved around the globe or community. We can match transmission patterns in two cattle populations hundreds of miles apart.

"That allows for far more sophisticated measurement of the evolution of a pathogen."

Mr Giuliano said despite Australia's extensive efforts in preparedness for exotic animal diseases, one of the things that was clear about biosecurity was that it could never be zero risk.

"Surveillance is a frontline tool and with random DNA sampling, the opportunity exists to pick up a pathogen before it becomes a problem," he said.

Mr McBride said the technology could provide rapid insights into the entry, spread and evolution of the disease, enabling better informed decisions about interventions and potential treatments.

Australia saw the benefits of genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Genomics provided insights into the virus's spread and evolution, which informed public policy decision making, Illumina pointed out.

"The latest outbreak of FMD in our region underscores the importance for Australia to enhance its national biosecurity monitoring. With ongoing changes to our environment, climate, agricultural practices and global trade, various biosecurity threats will continue to present challenges to Australia," Mr McBride said.