Scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are developing new tests to identify and track the COVID virus in wild and domestic animals. Funded by the American Rescue Plan, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is implementing $300 million to conduct monitoring and surveillance of susceptible animals for the COVID virus.
Through the initiative, ARS, in partnership with APHIS, is conducting five research projects to improve its understanding of the virus and to help APHIS accomplish its goal of building an early warning system to potentially prevent or limit the next zoonotic disease outbreak or global pandemic. Two of the projects call for developing easy-to-use field tests to quickly identify COVID infection in wildlife and domestic animals. Currently, all official testing of animals for COVID requires sending samples to certified laboratories and can take a week or more to provide answers. This may be too long to prevent early spread of infection.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)
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(USDA-ARS/WASHINGTON DC/February 7, 2023) — Scientists with the USDA Agricultural Research Service are developing new tests to identify the COVID virus and its variants and tools for tracking the virus in wild and domestic animals, thanks to five projects funded by the American Rescue Plan.
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is currently implementing a $300 million provision in the American Rescue Plan Act to conduct monitoring and surveillance of susceptible animals for the COVID virus. Through this initiative, ARS, in partnership with APHIS, is conducting five research projects to improve its understanding of the virus and to help APHIS accomplish its goal of building an early warning system to potentially prevent or limit the next zoonotic disease outbreak or global pandemic.
Two of the projects call for developing easy-to-use field tests to provide quick identification of COVID infection in wildlife and domestic animals—each based on a different basic technology. Both technologies are being worked on by scientists in the Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit (PS&MRU) at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California.
Currently, all official testing of animals for COVID requires sending samples to certified laboratories and can take a week or more to provide answers. This may be too long to prevent early spread of infection.
ARS microbiologist and PS&MRU research leader Vivian Wu‘s goal is a hand-held, rapid test providing answers in 10-15 minutes, based on an aptamer lateral flow assay (aLFA) for animal and environmental COVID virus testing.
Aptamers are very small synthetic strands of DNA or RNA that can be tailored to tightly bind to very precise targets. These molecules also are very environmentally stable, especially to heat, making them ideal for use in the wild and on farms. As important, aptamers can be easily manufactured in a relatively short time and cost.
Since aptamers recognize very specific viral proteins, multiple, individual COVID variants could be detected with each test and kits be rapidly modified as new strains emerge. The rapidity of this point-of-care, noninvasive test would facilitate monitoring of animals. It could be used as a surveillance tool and help the decision-making process of farmers, veterinarians and regulatory agencies.
“Farmed and wildlife species that have already been reported to be susceptible to COVID are our first priority for species-specific tests,” Wu said. “Besides farmed and wild mink, we are targeting white-tailed deer and hamsters. Tests for companion animals such as cats and dogs and animals in zoos such big cats and great apes also will be considered. Our list will be updated as new information becomes available on the susceptibility of animals with new variants. We also are looking at tests for on-farm environmental and wastewater sampling as a form of surveillance.”
ARS molecular biologist Robert Hnasko with the PS&MRU is heading the second ARP project developing portable COVID tests for domestic and wild animals, this one based on …..