InBios Receives USDA License for its West Nile Virus Antibody Detection Kit for Horses
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 24, 2014 -- A USDA licensed West Nile Virus (WNV) diagnostic kit for horses is now commercially available to veterinary and reference laboratories in the United States. The West Nile Virus Antibody Test Kit, ELISA was developed at InBios using antigen reagents licensed from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and is manufactured at InBios’ licensed USDA facility in Seattle, Washington. This highly sensitive and specific ELISA kit detects IgM antibodies in equine serum to WNV derived recombinant antigen. In a study comparing results obtained by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) WNV IgM reference ELISA, the InBios kit correctly identified 98/100 West Nile Virus (WNV) positive equine serum samples and 97/100 WNV negative equine serum samples. Based on the correlation results, the USDA determined that the InBios kit is a suitable alternative to the NVSL WNV IgM ELISA.
About West Nile in Horses:
West Nile is a type of virus that can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. It is a reportable disease in the US in animals (4). The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes that acquire it from infected birds. Migrating birds may play a role in spreading the disease (1). Like humans, horses can become infected with West Nile Virus, but they are also dead end hosts and cannot spread the virus back to mosquitoes (2). Clinical symptoms in horses have included listlessness, stumbling and incoordination, weakness of limbs, ataxia, partial paralysis, or death (1). During the West Nile outbreak of 2012, confirmed equine cases of West Nile Virus in the United States surged to 627 (3). In 2013, there were 338 confirmed equine cases of West Nile Virus. WNV has spread across the continent since its first detection in the in New York in 1999. There are now outbreaks every summer. Their severity has proven difficult to predict, but West Nile Virus is considered firmly established in the Unites States (2).
About InBios International, Inc.
InBios International, Inc., located at 562 1st Ave. South, Suite 600, Seattle, WA, USA develops and manufactures diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. The facility is USDA licensed, FDA registered and ISO 13485:2003 Certified. InBios manufactures a full range of diagnostic products affecting global public health including the FDA cleared West Nile IgM Capture ELISA for use with human serum. Other FDA cleared products available are an antibody ELISA for Dengue IgM detection and rapid test for Visceral Leishmaniasis. Products in the pipeline include diagnostic kits for Leptospirosis, Strongyloides and Melioidosis. All products are manufactured in the USA.
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References:
1. USDA UPHIS Veterinary Fact Sheet April 2000
2. http://academy.asm.org/images/stories/documents/WNV.pdf
3. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/wnv/
4. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/disease_status.htm#equine
Wendy Bagnato, InBios International, Inc., http://www.inbios.com, +1 (206) 344-5821 Ext: 21, [email protected]
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