IDEXX Laboratories has introduced new diagnostics for the equine market, including three new RealPCR™ reproductive panels, the Strangles RealPCR™ Screen and a RealPCR test forCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, or pigeon fever. These new diagnostics help equine veterinarians quickly and accurately diagnose individuals or herds and enable them to more proactively manage the health of the horses under their care. These new panels cast a wider net to identify more pathogens, provide better accuracy and produce more rapid results than current tests.

"The equine RealPCR tests for reproductive health and pigeon fever and the expanded test option for strangles fill an important void in the diagnostic landscape for equine practitioners," said Christian Leutenegger, head of Molecular Diagnostics at IDEXX. “Abortion in the equine industry is a sensitive topic; it leads to significant financial loss for mare owners.

“The three new reproductive panels help veterinarians rapidly assess the infectious components in a lost pregnancy and our PCR strangles panel covers three important infectious organisms compared to just one. These advances, along with our pigeon fever test, improve the diagnostic ability of equine veterinarians to detect clinical infection earlier, better manage outbreaks and better educate clients to strengthen those relationships,” concluded Leutenegger.

RealPCR™ Abortion, Postpartum Sick Mare and Infertile Mare Panels PCR tests provide a more definitive determination of the causes of reproductive problems faster than tests that rely on cultures. By detecting a broad number of pathogens, these three new panels help veterinarians determine more quickly whether the cause of reproductive problems is infectious or physiological. Once the cause is determined, practitioners can quickly take measures to quarantine or treat affected mares appropriately.

Strangles RealPCR™ Screen The IDEXX Strangles RealPCR™ Screen allows practitioners to proactively test for all the Streptococcus organisms that can cause a clinical outbreak of strangles—including S. equi subsp. equi, S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus, and S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilus. This approach minimizes the chance of false-negative results and ensures the correct diagnosis the first time, so farms can identify asymptomatic carriers and quickly contain and manage outbreaks.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (Pigeon Fever) RealPCR™ Test Increased horse movement has contributed to more cases of pigeon fever. The Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis RealPCR™ Test is the only PCR test for pigeon fever. It is faster and more precise than the currently available tests and allows practitioners to more quickly diagnose internal abscess and treat individual horses.