I have interest and expertise in using next generation sequencing for the detection, classification, and investigation of animal pathogens. I'm broadly interested in the prevalence and the genomics of bacterial and viral diseases in wildlife, including pathogens with zoonotic potential.
I'm also interested in using next generation tools such as Nanopore sequencing for surveillance and discovery of potential pathogens in wildlife and livestock.
I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and have been at the University of Melbourne as a student or staff member since 2005. I undertook a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Microbiology (2005 - 2008), followed by a Master of Science in Zoology (2009-2010), in collaboration with the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory. My Masters project focused on Mycobacterium ulcerans in common brushtail and ringtail possums. I then moved to the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences and worked for three years as a research assistant testing a vaccine candidate for ILTV (2010-2014). After this time I undertook a PhD investigating Chlamydia and retrovirus in koalas (2014-2017) using molecular detection and next generation sequencing to compare infections in different geographical regions of the country.
At the end of 2017, I began a post-doctoral research project, piloting the use of nanopore sequencing as a tool for pathogen surveillance in Victorian wild birds. I am also actively involved with, or have worked on, using next generation sequencing to investigate:
- Using long and short read sequencing technologies to investigate ILTV recombination
- Genomics of Mycoplasma bovis in cattle- Metagenomic investigations into equine reproductive losses- Metagenomic investigations into Australian arboreal marsupials
- Bacterial causes of bovine digital dermatitis
Find me on other websites
Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health
https://fvas.unimelb.edu.au/research/centres/asia-pacific-centre-for-animal-health
Science
Personal website: alegione.github.io
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2407-4496
Google Scholar: scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=OmIonF8AAAAJ
ResearchGate: researchgate.net/profile/Alistair_Legione
Coding
Github.com/alegione
Social
Twitter.com/alegione (views are my own and not of the University of Melbourne)
Twitter.com/WildlifeDisease (contributer)
Find out more about Alistair Legione's experience
Alistair Legione's highlights
FEATURED Journal article
SURVEILLANCE FOR CHLAMYDIA SPP. WITH MULTILOCUS SEQUENCE TYPING ANALYSIS IN WILD AND CAPTIVE BIRDS IN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
Read moreAlistair Legione's selected work
Projects
Displaying the 5 most recent projects by Alistair Legione.
Project Types
3
Research Grant
2
Research Contracts
Scholarly Works
Displaying the 25 most recent scholarly works by Alistair Legione.
Honours, Awards and Fellowships
Credentials
Positions
Lecturer (Veterinary Microbiology & Public Health)
Veterinary Biosciences
Member
The Australian Society for Microbiology
Member
Wildlife Diseases Association
Member
Wildlife Diseases Association - Australasian Section
Education
PhD (Veterinary Science)
University of Melbourne
Doctor of Philosophy
The University of Melbourne
Specialist Certificate in Teaching for Graduate Researchers
University of Melbourne
Master of Science (Zoology)
University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Science
University of Melbourne