S.Korea to commercialise genetic diagnostic kit for lumpy skin disease next year

Seoul, Sep 25 (IANS) South Korea’s agricultural ministry on Wednesday said it plans to commercialise a genetic diagnostic kit for lumpy skin disease (LSD) next year.

The genetic kit will help selectively cull infected cattle rather than destroying the entire herd, Yonhap news agency reported.

The technology -- developed jointly with Median Diagnostics -- is capable of delivering results within 8 hours, significantly faster than previous methods, which took a week, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The solution allows farms to cull only infected cattle, overcoming the limitations of the previous methods, which were less effective due to the need for rapid containment of the disease during an outbreak.

The ministry added that the technology allowed local farms to spare 2,281 cattle during trials last year, which helped the government save 14.8 billion won ($11.1 million) in compensation and other costs.

"The diagnostic technology, which enables the prompt and efficient identification of cattle testing positive for LSD, allows the government to selectively cull infected units and reduce damage to farms," the ministry said in a statement.

South Korea, meanwhile, reported five LSD cases between August and September.

LSD is a highly infectious disease that causes skin lesions, fever, and loss of appetite, often leading to a fall in milk production and even death.

It affects cattle and buffalo via mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects.

South Korea reported its first case of LSD in cattle this year in August.

The case was confirmed at a livestock farm in Anseong, located some 65 kilometers south of Seoul, breeding 80 cows, the Agriculture Ministry said.

It was the first LSD case in South Korea since November last year.

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