Research Interests

• Diagnosis, epidemiology and control of pestivirus infections of livestock
• Investigation and evaluation of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease virus (RHDV)
• Serological test development / epitope mapping
• Evaluation of vaccines against virus diseases of livestock
  

Background

Andrew Read is a veterinarian who holds a doctoral degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Melbourne.  In 2006 he joined the NSW Department of Primary industries in the Veterinary Virology Laboratory at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI), Camden.

Along with his research interests, he has responsibilities for providing oversight of the laboratory’s diagnostic and health certification testing, as well as providing technical advice to clients and Department management.

Qualifications

BVSc (Hons) - University of Sydney 1993
PhD - University of Melbourne 2007

Current projects

• RHDV Boost: enhancing the biocontrol of European Rabbits through evaluation of new isolates of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus
• Production of heat stable Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus
• Investigation of Bungowannah virus infections in livestock species
• Evaluation of alternative testing methods for bovine pestivirus
  

Recent publications

Finlaison DS, Read AJ, Kirkland PD (2010) An epizootic of bovine ephemeral fever in New South Wales in 2008 associated with long-distance dispersal of vectors.
Australian Veterinary Journal 88 (8):301-306

Read AJ, Casey JL, Coley AM, Foley M, Gauci CG, Jackson DC, Lightowlers MW (2009) Isolation of antibodies specific to a single conformation-dependant antigenic determinant on the EG95 hydatid vaccine. Vaccine 27 (7):1024-1031

Read AJ, Gauci CG, Lightowlers MW (2009) Purification of polyclonal anti-conformational antibodies for use in affinity selection from random peptide phage display libraries: A study using the hydatid vaccine EG95. Journal of Chromatography B 877 (14-15):1516-1522

Kyngdon CT, Gauci CG, Gonzalez AE, Flisser A, Zoli A, Read AJ, Martinez-Ocana J, Strugnell RA, Lightowlers MW (2006) Antibody responses and epitope specificities to the Taenia solium cysticercosis vaccines TSOL18 and TSOL45-1A. Parasite Immunology 28 (5):191-199

Lightowlers MW, Colebrook AL, Gauci CG, Gauci SM, Kyngdon CT, Monkhouse JL, Rodriquez CV, Read AJ, Rolfe RA, Sato C  (2003) Vaccination against cestode parasites: anti-helminth vaccines that work and why. Veterinary Parasitology 115 (2):83-123

Lightowlers MW, Gauci CG, Chow C, Drew DR, Gauci SM, Heath DD, Jackson DC, Dadley-Moore DL, Read AJ (2003) Molecular and genetic characterisation of the host-protective oncosphere antigens of taeniid cestode parasites. International Journal For Parasitology 33 (11):1207-1217

Fields of Research

• 070703 Veterinary Diagnosis and Diagnostics
• 070709 Veterinary Pathology
• 070712 Veterinary Virology

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Veterinary virology
• Animal health
• Diagnostic virology
• Rapid diagnostic tests
• Biological control