INNOVATION: On-farm bacteria tests
At the French annual livestock show SPACE, held in Rennes, animal health company Elanco has launched two tests to quickly discover bacteria presence in both poultry and pig excretion.
In pigs, the company launched Lawsonia FirstTest, developed in Germany. The test allows veterinarians to rapidly (1.5 hours) detect the presence of Lawsonia intracellularis in pig manure. The bacteria causes Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy (PPE), also known as ileitis.
ELISA test
Essentially, the test needs ten samples of manure, after which an ELISA test is applied. The shade of blue in the eventual outcome will inform about the density of Lawsonia presence. If more than three samples turn blue, the farm is considered as shedding Lawsonia.
Hitherto, samples needed to be sent to laboratories which often took days or weeks before final results could be known. In its portfolio, Elanco has products helping pig producers combat ileitis.
Poultry
In poultry, the company launched the FirstTest for diagnosing Clostridium perfringens. The product can be used in ten day old chicks. This product essentially works the same as the product in pigs as it also needs fresh droppings from all over the building. This test, which gives a result within 15 minutes, was developed in Belgium.
Both tests received one Innov’SPACE award.
Related websites:
• SPACE
• Elanco©
