Technology Details:
• The current pandemic of COVID19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was a worst catastrophe in the modern world after the Spanish flu of 1918. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) of 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) of 2012 were relatively less fatal outbreaks when we compare them with the SARS-CoV2 of 2019. :
• There have been many reports of detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies/ virus in animals during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Reports of infection in animals such as tigers and lions in India and USA, cats in USA and Belgium, dogs in Hong Kong and many other countries, minks on Netherlands indicate the threat the virus can cause for animal health due to reverse zoonosis and also the need to prevent the danger of various feline or canine species becoming reservoir hosts leading to zoonotic threat.:
• Thus, there was an urgent need to screen our animal population especially canine and feline population for the SARS-CoV-2 and to develop specific and sensitive diagnostics for it. :
• In this process, ICAR-National Research Centre on Equine has developed a recombinant nucleocapsid protein based indirect ELISA for detecting antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in canines under NASF project. The recombinant protein used in the kit doesn’t cross-react with other coronaviruses known to infect canines. :
• The assay has also been validated with gold test i.e. serum neutralization assay and has been found to be 95.66% sensitive and 89.76% specific. • The assay has been into a kit which contains ready to use recombinant nucelocapsid protein coated plates which are ready to use and can be stored at 40C. The kit has capacity to test 45 samples in duplicate.