IRISH BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANY ANNOUNCE BREAKTHROUGH IN MASTITIS TESTING
(PRWEB) November 10, 1999
DUBLIN, IRELAND
Tridelta Development Ltd, the Irish veterinary diagnostic company, working in co-operation with researchers in the USA and UK, have made an exciting breakthrough in animal health care and food safety testing.
Mastitis, inflammation of the udder in dairy cows, can be caused by infection or trauma and is estimated to cost the dairy industry as much as $3billion per year in the USA alone. With some degree of mastitis present in 25-40% of dairy cattle at any given time, mastitis is the number one disease in dairy cattle in terms of cost and lost production and is a major problem world-wide.
What makes the new Tridelta test unique and a source of great interest in the dairy world, is the fact that it is a predictive test for mastitis: that is, it can tell the farmer that a cow has a problem even before it becomes clinically detectable by current methods. Not only can the new Tridelta test diagnose the cow before it becomes ill, it can even pin-point which of the four quarters of the cow’s udder is causing the problem, allowing early, specific treatment of the animal and a rapid return to productivity. All of this without even the need for a blood sample: the new test is carried out simply using a few drops of milk.
The patented technology is based on Tridelta’s “Phase Range” assay for the Acute Phase Protein SAA (Serum Amyloid A). The research has discovered what is thought to be, a unique form of this protein which is produced in the breasts of lactating mammals.
Tridelta’s Managing Director, Brian Hett said, “Mastitis is a huge problem for the dairy industry; we now have a means of detecting it and treating it before it can become a serious problem for the farmer in economic terms and for the animal’s health. We expect to have a prototype, rapid, point of care assay available within a month. This would be used by the dairymen on the farms to identify those cattle that will develop mastitis. Early detection of the disease will allow the dairymen to start treatment earlier, therefore reducing the amount of lost milk production and reducing the suffering of the animal.”
