February 16, 2023

Tetracore announces USDA's purchase of ASF and FMD diagnostic test kits

Biotechnology company Tetracore, Inc. announced its partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to provide a stock of PCR kits for both African swine fever (ASF) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

The kits were purchased for use in the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank to ensure that the United States is prepared for a possible outbreak of a high-consequence foreign animal disease (FAD). As the only USDA licensed PCR kits for these diseases, Tetracore's VetAlert™ ASF and FMD Diagnostic Test kits will be critical in minimising the potentially devastating impacts of a FAD outbreak.

To address the need for laboratory surge capacity in an outbreak scenario, the USDA has asked Tetracore to stock its USDA-licensed test kits for FMD and ASF.

The VetAlert™ ASF and FMD Diagnostic Test kits have been updated using contemporary viral sequences, to ensure the test remains fit for purpose. These tests have been validated in studies with multiple reference laboratories.

The VetAlert™ ASF and FMD Diagnostic Test kits were developed and commercialised by Tetracore scientists and are sold exclusively by Tetracore.

- Tetracore, Inc.