Simone Warner is an Australian scientist, a microbiology researcher. She currently leads the Microbiology group within the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries, based at the Centre for AgriBiosciences in Bundoora, situated on the La Trobe University campus.
Early life and education
Warner was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. She earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Biotechnology with distinction from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1989, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Agricultural Science from La Trobe University in 1991. After working for seven years at the Victorian Department of Agriculture, she took leave to undertake a PhD at the University of Melbourne on the molecular characterisation of an equine virus, which she completed in 2001. This was followed with a Diploma of Business from Swinburne University in 2002.
In 1989, Warner joined the Department of Agriculture as a bacteriologist working on the diagnosis of animal diseases, and the contribution of bacteria to meat spoilage. She left work in 1997 to undertake PhD studies with a focus on molecular biology and viruses, which was the catalyst to lead a microbiology group of bacteriologists, virologists and molecular biologists at the completion of her studies. Warner currently leads a large animal and plant microbiology team of approximately 45 staff based at the AgriBio Centre in Bundoora that work on a range of projects primarily focused on animal and plant biosecurity. The group undertake diagnostic work as the representative Victorian State Laboratory, as well as a wide range of multi-disciplinary, collaborative projects including avian influenza virus , anthrax, abalone herpesvirus , plant viruses, plant bacteria and arboviruses, and encompass new technologies such as Next Generation Sequencing and MALDI-TOF into current research projects and emerging diagnostic issues.
Warner currently serves as the Victorian government representative on a range of committees including:
Sub-Committee for Animal Health Laboratory Standards (SCAHLS) including Chair of the Quality Assurance Working Group, and Chair of the Reference Laboratory Working Group.
Laboratories for Emergency Animal Disease Diagnosis and Response (LEADDR) committee.
National Steering Group for Avian Influenza in wild bird surveillance.
Australian Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.
National Animal Health Reference Laboratory Services Advisory Committee.
RMIT Program Advisory Committee Member for Biotechnology and Environmental Biology.
DEPI Victoria Institutional Biosafety Committee.
CRC Vaccine technology PhD scholarship
Victorian Daniel McAlpine Science Award for Abalone Virus Research (2010)
Bingham, J; Payne, J; Harper, J; Frazer, L; Eastwood, S; Wilson, S; Lowther, S; Lunt, R; Warner, S; Carr, M; Hall, RA; Durr, PA (Jun 2014). "Evaluation of a mouse model for the West Nile virus group for the purpose of determining viral pathotypes". J Gen Virol. 95 (6): 1221–32. doi:10.1099/vir.0.063537-0.
Vijaykrishna, D; Deng, YM; Su, YC; Fourment, M; Iannello, P; Arzey, GG; Hansbro, PM; Arzey, KE; Kirkland, PD; Warner, S; O'Riley, K; Barr, IG; Smith, GJ; Hurt, AC (Sep 2013). "The recent establishment of North American H10 lineage influenza viruses in Australian wild waterfowl and the evolution of Australian avian influenza viruses". J Virol. 87 (18): 10182–9. PMC 3753992 . PMID 23864623. doi:10.1128/JVI.03437-12.
Mann, RA; Fegan, M; O'Riley, K; Motha, J; Warner, S (Jan 2013). "Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Murray Valley encephalitis virus and West Nile virus (Kunjin subtype) from an arbovirus disease outbreak in horses in Victoria, Australia, in 2011". J Vet Diagn Invest. 25 (1): 35–44. doi:10.1177/1040638712467985.
Guay, PJ; Azuolas, J; Warner, S (May 2012). "Waterbird movement across the Great Dividing Range and implications for arbovirus irruption into southern Victoria". Aust Vet J. 90 (5): 197–8. doi:10.1111/j.1751-0813.2012.00908.x.
Development and validation of a TaqMan PCR assay for the Australian abalone herpes-like virus. Corbeil S, Colling A, Williams LM, Wong FY, Savin K, Warner S, Murdoch B, Cogan NO, Sawbridge TI, Fegan M, Mohammad I, Sunarto A, Handlinger J, Pyecroft S, Douglas M, Changs PH, Crane MS. Dis Aquat Organ. 2010 Oct 26;92(1):1-10. doi: 10.3354/dao02277.
Surveillance and analysis of avian influenza viruses, Australia. Hansbro PM, Warner S, Tracey JP, Arzey KE, Selleck P, O'Riley K, Beckett EL, Bunn C, Kirkland PD, Vijaykrishna D, Olsen B, Hurt AC" Emerg Infect Dis 2010 Dec;16(12):1896-904. doi: 10.3201/eid1612.100776.
A neurotropic herpesvirus infecting the gastropod, abalone, shares ancestry with oyster herpesvirus and a herpesvirus associated with the amphioxus genome. Savin KW, Cocks BG, Wong F, Sawbridge T, Cogan N, Savage D, Warner S. Virol J. 2010 Nov 10;7:308. doi: 10.1186/1743-422X-7-308.
East, IJ; Ainsworth, C; Warner, S; Dunowska, M; Azuolas, JK (Aug 2010). "Seroconversion to avian influenza virus in free-range chickens in the Riverland region of Victoria". Aust Vet J. 88 (8): 290–3. doi:10.1111/j.1751-0813.2010.00601.x.
Haynes, L; Arzey, E; Bell, C; Buchanan, N; Burgess, G; Cronan, V; Dickason, C; Field, H; Gibbs, S; Hansbro, P; Hollingsworth, T; Hurt, A; Kirkland, P; McCracken, H; O'Connor, J; Tracey, J; Wallner, J; Warner, S; Woods, R; Bunn, C (Jul 2009). "Australian surveillance for avian influenza viruses in wild birds between July 2005 and June 2007". Aust Vet J. 87 (7): 266–72. doi:10.1111/j.1751-0813.2009.00446.x.
Tan, J; Lancaster, M; Hyatt, A; van Driel, R; Wong, F; Warner, S (May 2008). "Purification of a herpes-like virus from abalone (Haliotis spp.) with ganglioneuritis and detection by transmission electron microscopy". J Virol Methods. 149 (2): 338–41. doi:10.1016/j.jviromet.2007.12.019.
Stevenson, RA; Hartley, CA; Huang, JA; Studdert, MJ; Crabb, BS; Warner, S (Jun 2003). "Mapping epitopes in equine rhinitis A virus VP1 recognized by antibodies elicited in response to infection of the natural host". J Gen Virol. 84 (6): 1607–12. doi:10.1099/vir.0.18848-0.
Hinton, TM; Ross-Smith, N; Warner, S; Belsham, GJ; Crabb, BS (Dec 2002). "Conservation of L and 3C proteinase activities across distantly related aphthoviruses". J Gen Virol. 83 (12): 3111–21. doi:10.1099/0022-1317-83-12-3111.
Evidence that Equine rhinitis A virus VP1 is a target of neutralizing antibodies and participates directly in receptor binding. Warner S, Hartley CA, Stevenson RA, Ficorilli N, Varrasso A, Studdert MJ, Crabb BS" J Virol 2001 Oct;75(19):9274-81.
Widders, PR; Coates, KJ; Warner, S; Beattie, JC; Morgan, IR; Hickey, MW (Jun 1995). "Controlling microbial contamination on beef and lamb meat during processing". Aust Vet J. 72 (6): 208–11. doi:10.1111/j.1751-0813.1995.tb03521.x.
Widders, PR; Warner, S; Huntington, PJ (Jan 1995). "Immunisation of mares to control endometritis caused by Streptococcus zooepidemicus". Res Vet Sci. 58 (1): 75–81. doi:10.1016/0034-5288(95)90093-4.
