Gov’t to commercialize genetic diagnostic kit for lumpy skin disease next year

The agricultural ministry said Wednesday it plans to commercialize a genetic diagnostic kit for lumpy skin disease (LSD) next year, designed to selectively cull infected cattle rather than destroying the entire herd. The technology, developed jointly with Median Diagnostics, is capable of delivering results within 8 hours, significantly faster than previous methods, which took a week, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The solution allows farms to cull only infected cattle, overcoming the limitations of the previous methods, which were less effective due to the need for rapid containment of the disease during an outbreak. The ministry added that the technology allowed local farms to spare 2,281 cattle during trials last year, which helped the government save 14.8 billion won (US$11.1 million) in compensation and other costs. "The diagnostic technology, which enables the prompt and efficient identification of cattle testing positive for LSD, allows the government to selectiv ely cull infected units and reduce damage to farms," the ministry said in a statement. South Korea, meanwhile, reported five LSD cases between August and September. Source: Yonhap News Agency