Improved PCR Diagnostic for detection of Paratuberculosis (or Johne’s disease)Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the organism responsible for a chronic, intestinal inflammatory disease found in domestic livestock, including cattle, deer, sheep and goats. Infection generally occurs early in life, and many infected animals become chronic carriers. Unless testing is done, paratuberculosis or Johne’s disease can exist undetected in a herd for years. Furthermore, MAP has also been implicated as a possible cause of Crohn’s disease in humans. Scientists at the University of Göttingen developed an improved PCR diagnostic test for fast and early detection of Paratuberculosis. ChallengeUnless measures are taken to control or eradicate the organism, the prevalence of infection gradually increases in the herd and greater numbers of animals become clinically ill. Economic impact of Johne’s disease in livestock may include premature culling, decreased milk production, possible breeding problems and loss of valuable animals and genetic potential. Our SolutionScientists at the University of Göttingen developed an improved PCR diagnostic test for fast and early detection of Paratuberculosis. This test has great sensitivity, whereby maintaining robustness and is extremely specific for MAP. Proof of concept has been achieved in various samples, including feces, blood, milk, sperm and tissue samples. Proof of Specificity: TaqMan real-time PCR only detects MAP. Source: Pia Münster.
Proof of Flexibility: TaqMan real-time PCR detection from various samples. Source: Pia Münster. Advantages
Applications
Developmental StatusIn vivo PoC on domestic livestock. Patent StatusThe international patent application (WO2013160434A1) has been nationalized in Europe (EP2841596A1), USA (US2015111206A1), Canada (CA2871683A1) and China (CN104685068A)(Applicant: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, public law foundation). Patents have been granted in EP (EP2841596B1, validated in DE, FR, GB, PL, NL, IT, ES, IE, DK, BE, AT, SE, CH) and USA (US10151004B2). ReferencesMünster et al.: Distribution of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in a German zoological garden determined by IS900 semi-nested and quantitative real-time PCR. Vet Microbiol. 2013;163(1-2):116-23. ContactDr. Stefan Uhle Patent Manager Life Science E-Mail: suhle(at)sciencebridge.de Tel.: +49 551 30724 154; Reference: BioC-1353-SUG |