From 3–4 July, the Disease Ecology Lab from the University of Sydney attended the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) Zoonoses Conference in Brisbane. With the theme Zoonoses and the Future of Health for All – The Cost of Not Listening, the conference brought together researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals from across the human, animal, and environmental health sectors, highlighting the importance of a One Health approach to tackling emerging infectious diseases.
Disease Ecology Lab members Jessica Agius, Renata de Lara Muylaert, Tatiana Proboste Ibertti, and Xiao Lu showcased their research through a range of oral and poster presentations.
Exploring AMR at the Human–Wildlife Interface
Jessica Agius, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Disease Ecology Lab, was one of three presenters selected through the abstract submission process to deliver an oral presentation. Her talk, “Hidden Housemates: Invasive Geckos as Reservoirs of Multidrug-Resistant Enterococci and the Human–Wildlife Interface,” explored the role of globally invasive Asian house geckos in harbouring multidrug-resistant enterococci. The findings support their potential role as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance at the human–wildlife interface, highlight the influence of human-modified environments on AMR transmission, and reinforce the importance of ongoing One Health surveillance across wildlife, domestic animals, and people.