Kelly Condon (Phd, BSc hons) specialises in the discipline of Aquatic Animal Health and has over 25 years experience focussed on viral and bacterial diseases of tropical aquaculture species. Dr Condon has a keen interest in approaches to prevent and treat disease outbreaks in aquaculture species and conducts research ranging from detection, quantification & tracking of pathogens in aquaculture systems to therapies to prevent disease outbreaks such as vaccine development and the assessment of novel bioactives.

Kelly is a strong advocate for the development of tropical aquaculture in Northern Australia and conducts teaching and research activities to help support the aquaculture sector to deliver benefit to tropical regions/communities and economies.

Current research activities with the Aquaculture Sector:

• Kelly is Deputy Director of theARC Research Hub Supercharging Tropical Aquaculture through Genetics. Kelly’s specific work package in this project is focussed on Aquatic animal health and preventing the impact of pathogens on production. The project will involve 5 years of research commencing 2021.

• Kelly is also the CI on the project collaboration between the CRCNA, FRDC, APFA and JCUaimed at determining the impact of prawn viruses on production. The project will involve 3 years of research commencing 2021.

• Kelly’s twenty years’ experience in the detection of pathogens of aquatic species, underpin her position as the Director of the JCU AquaPATH laboratory. JCU AquaPATH is a NATA accredited facility that specialises in the molecular detection of pathogens of aquaculture species particularly prawns, barramundi, and grouper. The laboratory provides rapid turnaround high throughput detection of a broad range of prawn viruses, bacterial toxin genes and support for fish disease diagnostics. The laboratory is actively involved in the preparation of biosecurity plans and troubleshooting health issues for the aquaculture industry. 

• In 2020 Kelly lead the research team that completed the most comprehensive multi-pathogen, multi-production stage analysis to detect prawn pathogens in the history of Australian prawn farming. You can read the report here: Final Report: Improving Biosecurity in Australian Prawn farming

• Kelly completed her PhD studies in "The management of Betanodavirus infections in tropical grouper". Kelly has a particular interest in Nervous Necrosis Virus in Australia and is currently assessing an experimental vaccine to prevent severe disease outbreaks caused by NNV.

Teaching Activities

• With an Aquatic Animal Health speciality Kelly teaches and co-ordinates the JCU subjects of Introduction to Aquaculture and Sustainable Aquaculture.
• Kelly is also the undergraduate BSc (Aquaculture) Major co-ordinator.

 

Kelly is interested in collaborative research to address aquaculture biosecurity and keen to support undergraduate and post-graduate research students to develop skills in aquatic animal health. 

Teaching

• AQ2001: Introduction to Aquaculture (Level 2; TSV)
• AQ3015: Sustainable Aquaculture (Level 3; TSV)
• AQ5006: Aquaculture: Principles and Practices (Level 5; TSV)
• AQ5015: Sustainable Aquaculture (Level 5; TSV)
• AQ5806: Aquaculture: Introductory Principles and Practices (Level 5; TSV)
• AQ5815: Sustainable Aquaculture Principles and Practices (Level 5; TSV)
• MI2031: Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases in Aquaculture (Level 2; TSV)
• MI3031: Diagnosis of Viral Disease in Aquaculture (Level 3; TSV)
• MI5003: Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases in Aquaculture (Level 5; TSV)
• MI5031: Diagnosis of Viral Disease in Aquaculture (Level 5; TSV)

Interests

Research

• Aquatic Animal Health, Prawn disease, prawn health, prawn immunity, microbiome, bacterial toxin, Vibrio, Betanodavirus, vaccine development, testing efficacy of novel treatments to prevent disease and improve health.

Research Disciplines

• Fisheries sciences (3005)

Awards

• 2018 - Australian Prawn Farmers Association Industry Innovation and Development Contribution.

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

• Hua K, Cobcroft J, Cole A, Condon K, Jerry D, Mangott A, Praeger C, Vucko M, Zeng C, Zenger K and Strugnell J (2019) The future of aquatic protein: implications for protein sources in aquaculture diets. One Earth, 1 (3). pp. 316-329
• Infante-Villamil S, Huerlimann R, Condon K, Maes G and Jerry D (2019) Bacterial signatures of productivity decay in Penaeus monodon ponds infected with PirA toxin. Aquaculture, 511.
• Bowater R, Dennis M, Blyde D, Stone B, Barnes A, Delamare-Deboutteville J, Horton M, White M, Condon K and Jones R (2018) Epizootics of Streptococcus agalactiae infection in captive rays from Queensland, Australia. Journal of Fish Diseases, 41 (2). pp. 223-232
• Huerlimann R, Wade N, Gordon L, Montenegro J, Goodall J, McWilliam S, Tinning M, Siemering K, Giardina E, Donovan D, Sellars M, Cowley J, Condon K, Coman G, Khatkar M, Raadsma H, Maes G, Zenger K and Jerry D (2018) De novo assembly, characterization, functional annotation and expression patterns of the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) transcriptome. Scientific Reports, 8.
• Akhila D, Mani M, Rai P, Condon K, Owens L and Karunasagar I (2015) Antisense RNA mediated protection from white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection in Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Aquaculture, 435. pp. 306-309
• Bochow S, Condon K, Elliman J and Owens L (2015) First complete genome of an Ambidensovirus; Cherax quadricarinatus densovirus, from freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. Marine Genomics, 24 (3). pp. 305-312
• Delamare-Deboutteville J, Bowater R, Condon K, Reynolds A, Fisk A, Aviles F and Barnes A (2015) Infection and pathology in Queensland grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus, (Bloch), caused by exposure to Streptococcus agalactiae via different routes. Journal of Fish Diseases, 38 (12). pp. 1021-1035
• Owens L, Condon K, Rai P and Karunasagar I (2015) Diet-delivery of therapeutic RNA interference in live Escherichia coli against pre-existing Penaeus merguiensis hepandensovirus in Penaeus merguiensis. Aquaculture, 437. pp. 360-365

Other research outputs

• Condon K, Bochow S, Ariel E and Miller T (2019) Complete genome sequences of Betanodavirus from Australian barramundi (Lates calcarifer). Microbiology Resource Announcements, 8 (16).

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

• Investigating the Significance of Shrimp Viruses on Australian Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon) Aquaculture Production (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Identification of virulence, microbial resistance and toxin encoding- genes in Vibrio sp. from tropical commercial aquaculture. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Development of diagnostic eDNA and immunoassay technologies to detect and monitor pathogen load and bacterial toxins to improve aquatic animal health in aquaculture farms. (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.