Abbott to Market Mad Cow Tests for Cattle

By Labmedica staff writers
Posted on 29 Mar 2001

Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, IL, USA) has entered into an agreement with Enfer Scientific Ltd. (Tipperary, Ireland) for the marketing and distribution of two diagnostic tests developed by Enfer to detect bovine encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, in cattle. Abbott will market the tests under the Enfer name.

The tests detect the presence of the abnormal prion protein associated with BSE. One test is a four-hour enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), approved by the European Commission. The test's rapid turnaround time and high throughput capabilities make it well suited for testing for mad cow disease. The second test is a supplemental diagnostic test used to confirm positive results of the first test. Both tests are conducted on brain tissue and spinal cord samples from cattle.

"We believe we have two very effective tests that improve the speed and reliability of BSE testing,” said Louis Ronan, director of Enfer Scientific. "By helping to ensure that only BSE-free meat enters the human food chain, these tests are making an important contribution to public safety.”

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