Exotic diseases could be confirmed in just 15 minutes in new test

A 15-minute test that can quickly determine if animals have conditions, including foot and mouth disease or lumpy skin disease, is being developed in Australia.

A 15-minute test that can quickly determine if animals have conditions such as foot and mouth disease or lumpy skin disease is being developed in Australia.

The point-of-care test, created by Melbourne-based company Zip Diagnostics, is still in its lab testing phase but is delivering promising results.

If made available to wider use, it’s hoped industry will lobby the federal government to have thousands of the tests on hand as an insurance policy in case there is an outbreak of an exotic animal disease.

In the case of FMD, the company said the test aimed to provide fast and accurate qualitative detection of the virus in cattle, sheep and pigs on farms, and at saleyards, abattoirs, vet practices and customs.

One of the big positives of the test was that it could provide rapid feedback – within 15-30 minutes – on the spot, as opposed to current tests which require samples to be taken to a laboratory and results taking days to come back.

Zip Diagnostics scientific director Dr Jack Richards said a preliminary study by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, at its Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, showed promising results for detecting lumpy skin disease virus in cattle.

Dr Jack Richards, scientific director with Zip Diagnostics, who has developed a rapid test for exotic diseases like FMD and LSD.

The tests were also currently under evaluation in the United Kingdom, where live viruses for exotic disease were held in laboratories. This was not the case in Australia where no live virus is allowed for conditions like FMD or LSD.

Dr Richards said the recent outbreak of avian influenza in Victoria showed just how quickly an exotic disease could emerge and then spread, making quick diagnostic tools essential for effective management of its spread.

“If there was an incursion of a disease tomorrow, we would struggle to contain it,” Dr Richards said.

The tests could also be used as proof of Australia’s disease-free status when exporting live animals, he said.

While he envisages that the tests will be used by veterinarians, Dr Richards said the testing took no special expertise and there was potential to train people in remote areas to use them if there were no vets nearby.

Zip Diagnostics has developed a rapid test for exotic diseases like FMD and LSD to give results within 15 minutes.

“The availability of this diagnostic test provides a critical tool in the fight against infectious diseases in livestock,” Dr Richards said.

“Early detection is key to preventing outbreaks and minimising the impact on both animal welfare and agricultural economies.”

The test is currently for sale for further research purposes only, to qualified practitioners at approved institutions.