The fully automated testing quantifies the speed of the molecules' movements and displays it on a monitor. The team says prion, when combined with antibodies, is likely to grow into larger molecules and moves slower than the lighter, normal molecules.
The test takes no longer than 90 minutes to get the results and is about 10 times more sensitive than the ELISA method, the team says.
The team plans to make the device small so that cattle breeders can easily use it on the farm.
"Detecting mad cow disease in cows younger than 20 months old was thought to be difficult. But with the new device, we can detect BSE regardless of cows' age," Tamura said.
"It would be a groundbreaking achievement if the device can help prevent the spread of BSE by detecting the disease in live animals," said Yoshio Yamakawa of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo. "But the team may need to work on enhancing the sensitivity of the test because an amount of prion in the blood is very small." (Kyodo News)
Japan Today Discussion
Post Your Opinion!
I suppose
flavorly (Mar 5 2005 - 22:05)
the next move by the U.S. would be to not use the device even if it was given to them for free.
in essence they already did that
takuan_18 (Mar 5 2005 - 22:12)
by threatening with prosecution small cattle producers that were willing to test
Researchers working on device to detect BSE in live cattle
Americanwoman (Mar 5 2005 - 22:13)
It would probably only work on Japanese cows, anyway.
Great!
szlachta (Mar 5 2005 - 23:39)
When I get hold of the first batch of the test kit, I am going to use it on a JT reader.
Researchers working on device to detect BSE in live cattle
tnstaafl (Mar 6 2005 - 03:02)
When I get hold of the first batch of the test kit, I am going to use it on a JT reader.
They all ready have a test for rabies.
You know
Its OK (Mar 6 2005 - 03:12)
All puns aside. This is real ingenuity! Cheers to Japan!
BSE's test
tclh (Mar 6 2005 - 06:30)
This is a ground-breaking news for BSE's test,and it also can be a nightmare for cattle farmers.It is a nondestructive ,cheap(?)test and therefore the pressure for compulsary testing is harder to resist.It must be hard,very hard for cattle farmers to see their cows being destroyed after positve tests.But what about the percentage of false negative and false positve?
whoops, wrong thread, here it is:
takuan_18 (Mar 6 2005 - 06:37)
a few Ebola virus particles
constitute a 80% to 90% death sentence. Since it kills in days, there is not much social upheaval. AIDS is now slower, those afflicted can't really completely cut lose from social responsibility once they know their inevitable fate. Prion disease now; what will be the social consequence if an entire generatino becomes aware that they are infected and will certainly end with incurable, progressive vCJD? What upheaval will we all face while a very slow disease spreads and awareness among the infected spreads?
What would you change about your life if a blood test today told you were infected, there was no cure and it would take twenty years to kill you?
Researchers working on device to detect BSE in live cattle
tnstaafl (Mar 6 2005 - 07:17)
Probably very little would change. At my age I would probably have a heart attack from the beef before BSE took hold, twenty years, bring it on. All kidding aside. You are correct in the observation. But consider that Twenty years sound like a long time to most people, especially to politians that think in 2 or 4 year gaps. Young people think it will not happen to them, and others think the science of the near future will cure all. The push is not there because of that time limit, as you say. If the desease is out as you think we are closing the barn door after the cows have run away. With this new test maybe it can be slowed somewhat. But considering that any brain damage is usually perement It will only help coming generations. I do agree in the testing of all cattle, I do not however think it has contimated our beef, yet. The reasons for not testing are becoming harder to justify.
tclh: you raise a good poin
taj (Mar 7 2005 - 10:51)
about the effect such a device would (will?) have on farmers, but I disagree 100% that it will be
"a nightmare for cattle farmers."
At present, if a single animal is detected in a herd in Canada, the whole herd is destroyed and tested. With a tool like the one described here, the herd-mates could be tested and if, negative, could be allowed to live, with further testing as they age. The cattle farmers in my family are anxiously awaiting such a "live testing" method.
