Successful Evaluation of Enigma Field Laboratory for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea

The UK Veterinary Laboratories Agency has successfully evaluated the performance of the Enigma FL (Field Laboratory) for testing for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD).

BVD is considered to be one of the main threats to cattle¹, affecting the majority of herds in the UK. It is closely related to classical swine fever virus, a serious disease of pigs, and to border disease virus, which infects sheep.

The Enigma FL instrument was used to analyse more than 100 blood samples that had already been screened by antigen ELISA and a laboratory-based RT-PCR for the presence of the BVD virus. Approximately half of the samples were proved BVDV positive by the laboratory-based PCR. With the level of concordance between the two tests being above 97%, this confirmed the Enigma FL system can produce laboratory standard results with a high degree of confidence.

The Enigma FL has been designed for easy operation. Tests are provided in a singleuse cartridge that can be stored at room temperature. The Enigma FL provides a PCR result in less than one hour, a timescale needed to allow field-based & pen-side diagnosis. On-site testing removes delays from transport of samples to the laboratory, which can often take days. The system requires minimal training and its utility for 'penside' testing for BVD has already been demonstrated².

John McKinley, Chairman and CEO of Enigma, stated: 'The Enigma Diagnostics tests could be deployed for the related viral diseases, such as classical swine fever, with minor modifications. The system itself is broadly applicable to many other veterinary pathogens, such as TB in cattle, bacterial infections and other viral infections, such as foot and mouth disease and avian influenza. Allowing vets to use advanced molecular diagnosis in the field will enhance their efficiency in managing endemic and exotic disease outbreaks identifying diseased animals and as importantly, non-infected ones and improve their surveillance capability'.

References:
1. http://www.rvc.ac.uk/BVD/documents/BVD_Disease.ppt
2. http://enigmadiagnostics.com/template2.php?page=news.php&m=4