Dr Ariel is Associate Professor in Virology at the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences. Her cultural background is Danish / Australian and although she grew up in Denmark, her tertiary education was in Australia, which she finished off with a PhD in Aquatic Pathobiology.

Dr Ariel worked for the European Commission for 11 years as Coordinator of the 25 National Reference Laboratories for Fish Diseases in the European Union. The overall focus was on biosecurity of aquatic animals, especially aquaculture, and standardizing and harmonizing diagnostic capacity across borders to prevent spread of disease and facilitate safe trade in live fish. She was also heavily involved in harnessing and delivering scientific advice to policy makers as well as assessing and advising research directions in the EU Aquatic Animal Disease sector.

After lecturing on the topic of human viruses for a number of years, Dr Ariel has recently taken on the coordinating role for the Aquatic Animal Health group at James Cook University. Her research interest is aquatic animal health in all its variations, but especially virology.

Dr Ariel is the team leader of the  Turtle Health Team, and instigator of the new research facility: "The Caraplace".

Teaching

• MI2011: Microbial Diversity (Level 2; TSV)
• MI2031: Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases in Aquaculture (Level 2; TSV)
• MI3021: Clinical Microbiology (Level 3; TSV)
• MI3031: Diagnosis of Viral Disease in Aquaculture (Level 3; TSV)
• MI5003: Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases in Aquaculture (Level 5; TSV)
• MI5021: Advanced Clinical Microbiology (Level 5; TSV)
• MI5051: Mechanisms of Infectious Diseases (Level 5; TSV)

Interests

Professional

• Biosecurity, cooperation across boundaries, research-teaching nexus with indigenous people, university students, high schools, government agencies concerned with wildlife, NGOs and volunteers.

Research

• Virology, aquatic epidemiology and general health of sea turtles and freshwater turtles. Current topics: ranavirus, chelonid herpesvirus 5, normal intestinal microflora, bacteriophage treatment, health assessment criteria for turtles, leeches as vectors of disease.

Teaching

• Teaching human viral diseases to MedLab and BioMed students. Teaching Aquatic Epidemiology to 5th year Vet students. Action research, involving students from the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, School of Creative Arts and School of Business. Students from IT and Design courses worked with our students to design an online computer game to facilitate the learning of diagnostic tests.

Experience

• 2009 to present - Team leader for the Turtle Health Research Group at the Vet School. Involving many colleagues, postgraduate students, undergraduates and interns, James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
• 2009 to present - Senior lecturer Virology, James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
• 2005 to 2008 - Coordinator of RANA Risk assessment of new and emerging systemic iridoviral diseases for European fish and aquatic ecosystems., European Community (Denmark, Europe)
• 1997 to 2008 - Coordinator of the Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases in European Community, European Community (Denmark, Europe)
• 2004 to 2007 - Steering group Member. PANDA Permanent Advisory Network for Diseases in Aquacultue., European Community (Denmark, Europe)
• 2005 to 2006 - Danish Representative on Comparative Risk Profile of Fish Diseases in the Nordic Countries, Danish Veterinary Institute (Denmark, Europe)
• 1993 to 1997 - PhD Aquatic Pathology, Department of Biomedical and Tropical Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia. Thesis title: Pathogenesis and Serological Assessment of Bohle Iridovirus Infections in Aquatic Reptiles. (Townsville, Australia)
• 1992 - Bachelor of Science (Honours, 1st Class), Department of Biomedical and Tropical Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia. Thesis title: Aspects of Bohle Iridovirus Infection in Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). (Townsville, Australia)

Research Disciplines

• Veterinary Sciences (0707)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species (9604)
• Fisheries - Aquaculture (8301)
• Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity (9608)

Awards

• 2019 - Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the FRDC Aquatic Animal Health and Biosecurity Subprogram
• 2019 - Research Excellence in Biomedicine. Awarded by the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University
• 2015 - JCU Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning
• 2015 - Outdoor Turtle Nursery Facility – Multiple Donors John Villiers Trust: $20,000 James N Kirby Foundation: $ 5,000 Townsville Triathlon Festival (Event Charity): $ 7,000: Sea Turtle FOundation $ 5,000.
• 2015 - JCU grant: $ 2000. Research partnerships beyond the University: Research and teaching nexus in the field
• 2015 - Nominated for the Peter Doherty Award for Excellence in STEM Education
• 2015 - Associate Professor
• 2014 - Department of Environment and Heritage: Experimental equipment: $ 5,000
• 2014 - JCU Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning
• 2013 - World Wide Fund for Nature WWF: Trackers for behaviour in sick turtles: $ 33,000
• 2013 - Sea Turtle Foundation: Field trips and equipment expenses: $ 12,000
• 2012 - NQ Dry tropics: Food and filtration for starving turtles: $ 5,000
• 2012 - Nominated for the Peter Doherty Award for Excellence in STEM Education
• 2011 - Finalist in the Banksia Awards for Caring for Country
• 2012 to 2015 - Purpose built Turtle Health Research Facility – Multiple Donors. Perpetual Trust: $20,000. WWF: $56,500. Anonymous: $80,000. Winifred Violet Scott: $26,500. George and Youngman Trust: $15,000.
• 2010 to 2015 - WWF: Multiple donations to cover field trips and equipment: $ 66,000
• 2005 to 2008 - Coordinator of the RANA project. 1.6M € project with 6 international partners. Risk assessment of new and emerging systemic iridoviral diseases for European fish and aquatic ecosystems
• 2004 to 2007 - Steering Group Member for the PANDA project (Permanent Advisory Network for Diseases in Aquaculture) which cooperated with over 400 scientists to seek policy advise for the European Commission.

Fellowships

• 2018 - Senior Laboratory Officer. AquaPath at JCU
• 2005 - Honorary position as Senior Consultant of the Inspection and Quarantine Technology Center, Lianyungang Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of P.R. China.
• 2012 to 2019 - Australian representative on the Board of the Global Ranavirus Symposium

Memberships

• 2015 - American Fisheries Society
• 2011 - • Centers of Excellence:TropWATER - Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research
• 2011 - • Centers of Excellence: Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture
• 2003 to 2019 - Asian Fisheries Society
• 2008 - Expert on panel for fish health and welfare under European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Other

• 2013 - Human Ethics Monitor at the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
• 2002 - Expert and Reader for the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) on the Aquatic Animal Code and Manual on ranaviral diseases of fish and amphibians
• 2010 to 2014 - Postgraduate Liason Officer at the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
• 2005 to 2008 - Expert in audits of 3rd countries for the EC Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) for approval to export live and processed fish into the EU
• 2003 to 2007 - Editor in Chief for the Journal: the European Association of Fish Pathologist (EAFP) Bulletin

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Ahasan M, Kinobe R, Elliott L, Owens L, Scott J, Picard J, Huerlimann R and Ariel E (in press) Bacteriophage versus antibiotic therapy on gut bacterial communities of juvenile green turtle, Chelonia mydas. Environmental Microbiology, 2019.
• Maclaine A, Forzan M, Mashkour N, Scott J and Ariel E (2019) Pathogenesis of Bohle iridovirus (genus Ranavirus) in experimentally infected juvenile eastern water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii). Veterinary Pathology, 56 (3). pp. 465-475
• March D, Ariel E, Munns S, Rudd D, Blyde D, Christidis L and Kelaher B (2019) Physiological changes in post-hatchling green turtles (Chelonia mydas) following short-term fasting: implications for release protocols. Conservation Physiology, 7 (1).
• Ahasan M, Waltzek T, Huerlimann R and Ariel E (2018) Comparative analysis of gut bacterial communities of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) pre-hospitalization and post-rehabilitation by high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Microbiological Research, 207. pp. 91-99
• Caron A, Thomas C, Berry K, Motti C, Ariel E and Brodie J (2018) Validation of an optimised protocol for quantification of microplastics in heterogenous samples: a case study using green turtle chyme. MethodsX, 5. pp. 812-823
• Caron A, Thomas C, Berry K, Motti C, Ariel E and Brodie J (2018) Ingestion of microplastic debris by green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Great Barrier Reef: validation of a sequential extraction protocol. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 127. pp. 743-751
• Hall R, Robson S and Ariel E (2018) Colour vision of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchlings: do they still prefer blue under water? PeerJ, 6.
• Jones K, Jensen M, Burgess G, Leonhardt J, van Herwerden L, Hazel J, Hamann M, Bell I and Ariel E (2018) Closing the gap: mixed stock analysis of three foraging populations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on the Great Barrier Reef. PeerJ, 6.
• Maclaine A, Mashkour N, Scott J and Ariel E (2018) Susceptibility of eastern water dragons Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii to Bohle iridovirus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 127. pp. 97-105
• March D, Vinette-Herrin K, Peters A, Ariel E, Blyde D, Hayward D, Christidis L and Kelaher B (2018) Hematologic and biochemical characteristics of stranded green sea turtles. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 30 (3). pp. 423-429
• Mashkour N, Maclaine A, Burgess G and Ariel E (2018) Discovery of an Australian Chelonia mydas papillomavirus via green turtle primary cell culture and qPCR. Journal of Virological Methods, 258. pp. 13-23
• Stilwell N, Whittington R, Hick P, Becker J, Ariel E, van Beurden S, Vendramin N, Olesen N and Waltzek T (2018) Partial validation of a TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR for the detection of ranaviruses. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 128 (2). pp. 105-116

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 58+ research outputs authored by A/Prof Ellen Ariel from 2005 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Studies of Bellinger River Virus (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Turtles and tourists without borders: assessing tourism management options for Australian sea turtles both sides of the border (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Detection, prevention and management of Viral Encaphalopathy and Retinopathy in cultured tropical grouper E.coioides and E.lanceolatus (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Assessment of health Status in Green Turtle Populations (Chelonia Mydas) by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Method (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Pathology and Epidemiology of Ranavirus Infection in Australian Freshwater Turtles (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• The Identification of Potential Links Between Fibropapilloma Prevalence in Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia Mydas) and Heavy metal Contamination Along the Great Barrier Reef, Australia (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Sea turtles disease risk analysis, establishing primary cell culture and QPCR for viral screening and discovery of the first Australian Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Papillomavirus (2019, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Characterisation of Ranaviral infection and its management in Australian Lizards (2019, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Environmental influences on the epidemiology of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and consequences for management of inshore areas of the Great Barrier Reef (2019, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Gut bacterial communities in healthy and compromised green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and an alternative treatment for gastrointestinal disorders (2018, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• New insight into detection and evolution of Australian Penaeus stylirostris densovirus (2015, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.