A new rapid farmside test developed in New Zealand is able to detect the presence of mastitis bacteria in just 10 minutes.
The method developed by Koru Diagnostics is almost 24 hours faster than its nearest rival, and three to five days faster than traditional methods.
Koru Diagnostics CEO Rhys McKinlay says the technology doesn’t rely on culturing or detecting the bacteria itself.
“It quickly and accurately detects specific biomarkers in fresh milk samples that are indicative of an infection,” he says.
The Palmerston North-based start-up has raised over $900,000 in its first round of investor funding, which will give them commercialisation runway until late 2019.
“These funds will be directed towards product development and commercial scale-up, protecting our IP and securing new commercial partnerships,” Mr McKinlay says.
Mastitis is a common infection of the udder tissue in dairy cattle and represents $300 million in treatment costs and production losses in New Zealand alone.
Source: Newshub.
