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One of the world’s leading veterinarians and emerging zoonotic disease experts calls PenCheck® a potential game changer in the fight against African swine fever.
During an appearance on China Global Television Network (CGTN), Dr. Juergen Richt, DVM, PhD at Kansas State University, said PenCheck® is one of the few ways to successfully control ASF. PenCheck® is a new rapid-acting test for African swine fever, a solution developed by Silver Lake Research Corporation in Southern California.
Dr. Richt applauded scientists at Silver Lake Research Corporation for quickly developing a test that can deliver results in such a short period of time.
PenCheck® can be easily administered at hog and pig pens with results available in just 20 minutes, to help prevent the spread of the deadly virus. PenCheck® is the only low-cost rapid test with confirmed accuracy rates greater than 95%.
Here you can watch the entire interview with Elaine Reyes on CGTN’s China 24 newscast. During the interview, Dr. Richt showcased the simplicity of PenCheck® and demonstrated how easy it is to get a positive or negative result in a matter of minutes.
Using just a drop of blood from the pig or boar along with a few drops of water, PenCheck® was designed with a simple protocol, such that screening may be accomplished confidently in any environment.
African swine fever has killed millions of pigs across Asia and Europe, with an enormous and costly impact on the global meat market.
At Kansas State University, Dr. Richt conducted an independent clinical validation study to determine the accuracy of PenCheck®. The sensitivity of PenCheck® was 95.5%, with a specificity of 99.3%. In the sensitivity tests, PenCheck® correctly identified 21 of 22 pigs with moderate to severe symptoms of African swine fever. In the specificity tests, PenCheck® was found to be very dependable. In 144 pigs with no prior symptoms, PenCheck® correctly determined 143 pigs did not carry the virus.
The study concluded:
- In symptomatic animals, a positive test result is a highly reliable indicator of African swine fever.
- In animals with moderate to severe symptoms, PenCheck® can be used to detect African swine fever with high sensitivity.
- PenCheck® may be used as the foundation for an effective and inexpensive monitoring program for swine populations, focused on early detection of African swine fever exposure in symptomatic animals.
A manuscript with full details of the clinical study is currently in preparation.
February 25, 2020 - Silver Lake Research Corporation
