Iran Breaks Monopoly in Production of Bovine Tuberculosis Diagnosis Kits
Iranian researchers at the National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology succeeded in indigenization of the diagnosis kits for tuberculosis disease in ruminants.
Official figures showed that about 3,000 cows die for infection to bovine tuberculosis every year. The disease is common and transmissible between human and animals.
“Only three countries, the US, France and Switzerland, enjoyed the technical know-how to produce these kits, and Iran is the fourth country that produces such kits with the same quality and at a quarter of the price of the foreign samples without any restrictions, and the need for veterinary kits in the next year will be met until the end of December,” said Javad Mohammadi, the head of the National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.
Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease of cattle. It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) which can also infect and cause disease in many other mammals including humans, deer, goats, pigs, cats, dogs and badgers.
In cattle, it is mainly a respiratory disease but clinical signs are rare. TB in humans can be caused by both Mycobacterium bovis and the human form, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
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