NSN Supplies On-site PCR Devices for Animals... "Minimizing Environmental Pollution"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] NSN announced on the 26th that it signed a distribution contract with Aram Bio System in August and began supplying animal PCR devices and diagnostic reagents, which are now being actively utilized at the Gyeonggi-do Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory.

NSN has obtained product approval from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for PCR diagnostic devices and African Swine Fever (ASF) diagnostic kits, and plans to actively supply them to livestock sites. Tests conducted at the Ulsan and Busan Health and Environment Research Institutes' Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratories confirmed that using the contracted diagnostic kits and portable PCR diagnostic devices, test results can be obtained within 22 minutes. The devices operate within a wide temperature range of 0°C to 35°C and offer excellent accuracy, enabling real-time testing on farms.

NSN’s on-site animal PCR diagnostics allow for testing and result confirmation directly at the site, preventing indiscriminate mass culling of entire regions and wild boar shootings, thereby protecting lives and farm assets while minimizing environmental pollution.

Amid recent outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Gangwon-do, emergency culling of approximately 14,500 pigs raised at two pig farms in Chuncheon City has been carried out, and plans are underway to conduct mass testing of all pig farms in Gangwon-do.

When ASF occurs, all pigs or chickens on farms in the affected area are culled, leading to indiscriminate culling even of uninfected farms. Conventional testing requires transporting carcasses or samples to the site, resulting in a 12-hour wait for test results. Burial of carcasses causes severe underground contamination, leading to groundwater pollution. Wild boars, identified as ASF vectors, are indiscriminately culled, and moving individuals to quarantine centers without confirming infection status spreads the virus further.

NSN plans to expand on-site PCR diagnostic testing not only for African Swine Fever but also for bovine brucellosis, tuberculosis, and the three major viral diseases in dogs?parvovirus, coronavirus, and distemper?enabling rapid diagnosis at animal farms and veterinary hospitals.

An NSN official stated, “Starting with the Gyeonggi-do Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory, we expect purchase requests from other local governments currently reviewing product adoption. Early on-site diagnosis is very useful for investigating highly contagious diseases including African Swine Fever and avian influenza, and the market is rapidly growing. We are also developing diagnostic kits for zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis and tuberculosis, which mainly occur in cattle and can infect humans, with plans to enter overseas markets.”