Novel technologies to assist rapid and sensitive detection of brown marmorated stink bug

Interceptions of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) at Australian ports have been increasing in number for several years. An accurate, fast, and cost-effective diagnostic is necessary to improve surveillance power and direct activities towards high risk pathways at the national border, and would increase capabilities of biosecurity personnel to quickly delimit the extent of a post-border outbreak. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is being used in Australia and overseas for a range of activities in biosecurity, biodiversity conservation and environmental impact assessments. All organisms leave traces of their DNA in their surrounding environment and this technology now makes it possible to take environmental samples to determine what species were present in real-time. These molecular techniques detect trace amounts of DNA and are therefore an exciting prospect for integration into biosecurity activities to prevent incursions and also delimit outbreak areas