CSTFA AquaPATH

AquaPATH Lab

JCU AquaPATH, at JCU Townsville, is the only NATA accredited laboratory approved for the detection of viruses located in North Queensland. We are approved by Biosecurity QLD for testing for WSSV. We‘re in the Tropics to support the development of Tropical Aquaculture.

JCU AquaPATH investigates ways to reduce losses due to disease in tropical aquaculture production systems. We do this by providing rapid turnaround molecular analysis to detect pathogens of aquaculture species i.e. we conduct qPCR testing to detect aquatic viruses and other pathogens that impact on production. This includes commercially important crustaceans, finfish, and iconic tropical species including giant tiger prawns, banana prawns, barramundi and tropical grouper species.

Services are provided to ad-hoc requests or within structured projects with specific research outputs. We can work with nutritionists, geneticists and other research disciplines to improve the health of your stock. We don’t just want to tell you what pathogens are in your stock. We want to help you understand pathogens and manage and limit their impact.

We are committed to providing you the highest quality service. Our testing is high throughput and rapid turn around. We notify you of sample receipt and report issue. We arrange shipment of everything you need to sample in a format that gets you the most reliable and quickest result.

We test for the following:

Nervous Necrosis Virus (NNV/VNN)
Streptococcus agalactiae in Fish
Infectious Hypodermal Haematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV)
Hepatopancreatic Parvovirus (HPV)
White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV)
Yellow Head Virus strains -1, -2 and -7
Whenzhou Shrimp Virus -2 from Crustaceans (When-2)
Enterocytozoon
Pir-A, Pir-B, Hemolysin D, Repeats in and Zon occludens toxin genes
Monodon baculovirus
Gill-associated virus (GAV)

However, we can design specific assays to suit client requirements - please contact us for further information.

In Biosecurity, prevention is better and less expensive, than cure. We can implement small or large scale programs to suit your needs, goals and budget. We have a variety of options in our testing programs without added cost. We can also help you access government grants to investigate aspects of biosecurity.

We want to help. We understand aquaculture is a 24/7 operation and are available out of office hours. If it’s urgent for you. It’s urgent for us.

JCU AquaPATH
Building 32. Lab 007
James Cook Drive, Townsville. QLD. 4814

Office: +07 4781 6842

Mobile: 0438 601 791

Email: [email protected]

All of our people are tertiary qualified tropical aquaculture specialists, passionate about providing industry with practical solutions. Our staff are research capable. We can apply our scientific knowledge to respond to a new issue and we can implement new assays without waiting for a commercial supplier to develop one. Our value proposition, unlike other providers, is that we are embedded within the globally recognised aquaculture and environmental research team at James Cook University.