Source: Boitumelo Kgobotlo, Mail&Guardian, 9 July 2021, photo credit: Biospectrum/shuwenbiotech.com
More animals can now be saved from the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease through new diagnostic technology that guarantees early detection and allows animals to be isolated earlier.
TokaBio, a South African biotechnology company, has invented diagnostic technology that can detect the virus in less than an hour.
The point-of-care diagnostic system can collate information, provide preliminary results that show if the disease has been detected and what type of strain, and send the data to the lab for further analysis. This reduces the turnaround time for results and is necessary to determine the most suitable vaccine in the shortest time possible.
The T16 isotherm PCR (polymerase chain reaction) diagnostic tool connects to a mobile device to give results and gather information for the government regulator’s database that provides live information on the status of livestock.
The technology has also been successfully tested in other African countries that have recently had outbreaks, including Rwanda, Lesotho and Zambia.
TokaBio managing director and scientist Dr Phiyani Lebea said early detection of the disease would help farmers to make more informed decisions and reduce the spread of the disease on their farms. “To analyse genetic material requires sophisticated laboratory equipment, which is not available for most parts of the country, especially in rural areas where livestock resides. Our technology requires no electricity. It is battery-operated,” said Lebea.
The technology is, however, not yet directly available to farmers, because reportable and notifiable diseases are the responsibility of the department of agriculture and rural development and the new tool still needs to be registered.
“Usage of such technologies is subject to regulation and registration by the directorate of animal health,” said Lebea. “Discussions are afoot to get this technology fully registered for deployment in South Africa to the ministry in its surveillance efforts and, consequently, assist farmers countrywide.”
Source
The South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) coordinates industry interventions and collaboratively manages risks in the value chain to enable the sustainability and profitability of pork producers in South Africa.
