$1.4 million blowfly genome project launched

Australian and New Zealand scientists have launched a AUD$1.4 million study funded by industry group Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) to map the genome of the sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina, in a bid to better control and prevent flystrike in sheep.

Flystrike is caused by the sheep blowfly when it lays its eggs in the wool of the sheep, resulting in maggots which cause painful wounds leading to pain, stress, suffering and death. The parasitic insect costs Australian sheep farmers more than $160 million annually in control costs and lost production. Current controls include the controversial practice of mulesing, as well as the use of chemical insecticides.

AWI and scientists at the ARC Special Research Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research (CESAR) led by University of Melbourne geneticist Dr Phil Batterham, and at Massey University's Centre for Functional Genomics in New Zealand, plan to use the genome map to identify genes involved in the parasitic life cycle of the blowfly, as well as genes involved in insecticide resistance, with the goal of developing targets for rational insecticide design.

"It's not going to be a full sequence -- AWI has taken a very economical approach maximising the output," Batterham said.

Researchers at Massey University led by Aussie expatriate Max Scott will also work on research methods for manipulation of the blowfly genome, such as knocking out genes in the fly, to allow the scientists to study genes of interest.

"This is important for us, as we might come up with large numbers of potential targets and thus will need a way to sift through them to pick the best targets," Batterham said.

The project is expected to run for three years, and Batterham warned that it would take some time to develop new insecticides based on targets identified.

"It takes a long time -- several years -- for a chemical to be developed and gain appropriate certifications for use in the field, particularly when the animal is for food," he said.

Batterham commended AWI for its support of the project. "I would describe it as one industry group seizing the future and running with it. They're setting a model that other industry groups and the government need to follow as soon as possible," he said.

"This kind of work needs to be done for some serious pests including the cotton bollworm moth Helicoverpa armigera."

Batterham is also seeking support from industry and government to set up a genome project for Helicoverpa. The cotton bollworm is a global pest of cotton and more than 60 other crops, costing farmers $225 million annually in Australia alone. Global costs for the pest are more than $2 billion worldwide.

"These insects become multiply resistant to pesticides," he said. "Without the genome it will be hard to unravel the genes involved."

As well as the benefits to farmers from such a project, Batterham says there are also potential trade advantages for Australia with countries like India and China, which are particularly besieged by the pest.