Researchers
at the University of Guelph claim they have a new test for avian influenza that
takes only minutes and can be done on farms.
That
compares with days it took to determine the exact strain of avian influenza
that recently felled 10,000 of the 30,000 turkeys in a flock near Woodstock.
That flock
is being euthanized and eight poultry farms within five kilometres are under
quarantine.
“This test
only needs two to three minutes to incubate, and then you get the results
immediately. Not only that, but it is more cost-effective,” says Prof. Suresh
Neethirajan, of the School of Engineering.
“Conventional
techniques are time-consuming and labour-intensive, and require special
facilities and expensive laboratory instruments,” he said by way of a news
release from the university.
The test is
done with a few drops of blood taken from birds. Within minutes a chemical
colour change will indicate whether the blood carries avian influenza.
Neethirajan
said it will also indicate the specific strain of avian influenza.
A study
about the device will appear in an upcoming issue of the scientific
journal Sensors, published by Molecular Diversity Preservation
International (MDPI).
Frankly, I think this seems far too good to be true.
