Defending Australian animals

AUSTRALIA’S livestock and native fauna are benefiting from the work of a PhD student based at Murdoch University, who is attempting to understand the potential impact on our animals of a type of trypanosomosis, one that is closely related to the deadly sleeping sickness parasite.

Zablon Njiru is studying in the WA Biomedical Research Institute (WABRI), a collaborative research venture between Murdoch and Curtin Universities funded through the Centre of Excellence Program.

Mr Njiru’s major focus is to improve diagnostic tests and determine the genetic relationship between these parasites in Kenya and South East Asia.

“Actually, this parasite group is an important constraint on the productivity of livestock throughout the world,” said Mr Njiru.

“It has emerged as a serious threat to the viability of smallholder livestock industries in the Philippines and causes severe, deadly disease outbreaks. The risk of this disease entering Australia through Indonesia grows every year, and its impact on our livestock and native fauna would be devastating.”

Mr Njiru recently received a funding boost through a scholarship from WABRI under its Macquarie Bank Postgraduate Scholarship. Professor Simon Carroll, Director of WABRI, said Zablon Njiru had achieved outstanding results during his university studies and that he looked forward to seeing him excel during studies and that he looked forward to seeing him excel during his postgraduate studies.

The Macquarie Bank Fellowship Program provides financial support for WABRI PhD students to enhance research into biomedical sciences in the areas of drug delivery and therapeutics for disease intervention.