Detection of Schmallenberg virus made possible by bioMérieux: the ADIAGENE PCR kit has been validated by ANSES

Marcy l’Etoile, France – ADIAGENE, a member of the bioMérieux group and specialized in diagnostics for animal health, has obtained ANSES validation for a kit for the detection of Schmallenberg virus, responsible for the epidemic currently affecting livestock in Europe. Based on molecular biology techniques, the new ADIAVET™ Schmallenberg virus PCR detection kit was developed by ADIAGENE in close collaboration with the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES, Maisons-Alfort, France). The Direction Générale de l’Alimentation (DGAL) has just authorized its use in certified French public veterinary laboratories.

Specialized in the development and production of molecular diagnostic kits, ADIAGENE developed this test in response to the sanitary emergency impacting ovine, bovine and caprine farms. Within the framework of the outbreak monitoring plan, the ADIAVET Schmallenberg virus PCR kit enables the specific detection of the presence of the virus in just a few hours.

“ADIAGENE recently joined bioMérieux as part of the AES Laboratoire acquisition and we are very pleased to benefit from their expertise and to complete our offer with molecular biology tests for the detection of veterinary pathogens,” said Jean-Marc Durano, bioMérieux Corporate Vice President, Industrial Microbiology. “We would like to commend their responsiveness, which allowed us to react in record time to an issue of great importance for the livestock industries impacted by this outbreak.”

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) was isolated for the first time in November, 2011, in Germany near the town of Schmallenberg, for which it is named. It has since been detected on several farms in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and France.

To date, nearly 2,400 farms in Europe have been struck by the virus. Transmitted by insects, it is not contagious from one animal to another and, based on currently available knowledge, it does not appear to be transmissible to humans. SBV infection is manifested in ruminants by diarrhea, hyperthermia, loss of appetite, a drop in production, miscarriage in pregnant females and congenital malformations.