Defining the links between climate change, marine disease and food security

该项目将提供有关威胁澳大利亚16亿美元水产养殖业的海洋病原体爆发原因的重要新知识。最近水产养殖物种的大规模死亡事件以及海产品消费者的人类疾病都与同一细菌属的几个成员有关，但引发这些病原体空前爆发的原因尚不清楚。通过结合一套复杂的分子生物学工具和生理测量，本研究将解决包括海洋热浪、洪水和塑料污染在内的环境干扰在刺激海洋病原体爆发中的作用，从而为保障澳大利亚的粮食安全和食品安全提供信息。

This project will deliver critical new knowledge on the causes of marine pathogen outbreaks that threaten Australia’s $1.6 billion aquaculture industry. Several members of the same genus of bacteria have been implicated in recent mass mortality events in aquaculture species, as well as human illness in consumers of seafood, yet the triggers for unprecedented outbreaks of these pathogens are unknown. By coupling a suite of sophisticated molecular biological tools and physiological measurements, this research will resolve the role of environmental disturbances including marine heat waves, floods and plastic pollution in stimulating marine pathogen outbreaks, thereby informing efforts to safeguard Australia’s food security and food safety.