BioStone Animal Health Launches Japanese Encephalitis Antibody Test Kit

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — December 15, 2023 — BioStone Animal Health is pleased to announce the launch of the AsurDx^TM Japanese Encephalitis (JEV) Antibody Test Kit designed for the detection of pig antibodies specific to Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV). JEV is a flavivirus which is closely related to Dengue virus, West Nile virus, and Zika virus. The disease was first identified in Japan in the late 1800s, and is endemic to Asia and the Pacific, including Australia. It is spread through mosquito bites, especially of the Culex, Aedes, and Anopheles genera, and can infect many animals, including pigs, horses, goats, sheep, cattle, water birds, and humans. While most hosts are dead end carriers who are unable to pass infections back to mosquitoes, the virus can be spread back to mosquitoes in pigs, which can transmit the virus to other pigs. Mosquitoes can be carried long distances by wind or hitchhiking on migratory birds. The main method of control is mosquito control, although recently a swine vaccine based on a chimeric hybrid virus has been developed in Australia. However, the efficacy of the vaccines are not certain, and there are currently no treatments for the disease in infected pigs.

JEV usually causes no symptoms in adult sows, but the virus can be transmitted by pregnant females to piglets. Infection before 70 days of gestation can result in stillbirth, miscarriage, or severe birth defects in piglets such as hydrocephalus, cerebellar hypoplasia, subcutaneous edema, and hepatic and splenic necrosis. Infection in boars can lead to testicular edema, reduced sperm motility, and temporary infertility. The disease is widespread in pigs; in India, 7% of pigs were identified as carriers. The virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes feeding on infected pigs, causing an estimated 70,000 cases annually. The disease is fatal in 20-30% of human cases, and 50% of survivors develop long term neurological defects.

The AsurDx^TM Japanese Encephalitis (JEV) Antibody Test Kit detects antibodies against JEV in pig serum/plasma. The kit provides a simple, rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective enzyme-based immunoassay (ELISA) screening method.

About BioStone Animal Health — BioStone Animal Health is a Dallas, TX-based biotechnology company that provides innovative solutions for animal health. BioStone Animal Health works together with our worldwide partners to offer a portfolio of animal disease diagnostic products as well as test kits and reagents for vaccine testing that enables performing a rapid evaluation of the efficacies, stability, consistency, and potency of common animal vaccines. By making these test kits available to the international community, BioStone strives to actively promote and participate in global animal health initiatives. For more information about BioStone Animal Health, visit www.biostoneah.com