Pork producers now have access to a comprehensive diagnostic kit designed to test production animals for swine influenza virus (SIV) subtypes with the launch of Thermo Fisher’s VetMAX-Gold SIV Subtyping Kit, the industry's only U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-approved, real-time PCR test of its kind.

Swine have a unique role in the transmission of influenza viruses among species. They are the only animal raised in abundance that can both be infected by and transmit virus to other pigs. When housed in close contact, the pig can serve as a biological mixing vessel, where influenza genes from any susceptible species can combine and undergo re-assortment within the animal to emerge as a new subtype. The complexity of swine influenza diagnostics requires a robust molecular subtyping solution for reliable differentiation of the swine H and N subtypes, providing information used to monitor and control the disease.

When used in combination with MagMAX Pathogen RNA/DNA Kit and VetMAX-Gold SIV Detection Kit, Thermo Fisher said the VetMAX-Gold SIV Subtyping Kit provides veterinary diagnostic laboratories with a complete screening and subtyping solution that is both rapid and cost-effective. The SIV Detection Kit provides a detection rate of more than 95% in positive samples, and can return results in less than a day.

"Thermo Fisher is committed to providing the most comprehensive set of solutions to help its customers accurately diagnose the health of their production animals," said Martin Guillet, general manager, Animal Health for Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Our newest USDA-approved subtyping kit enables them a cost-effective and accurate way to monitor their herds for diseases that can threaten their business."