Agdia, Inc. Announces Release of Rapid On-Site Test for Potyviruses

-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --

Agdia, Inc. (Elkhart, IN), a leading provider of agricultural diagnostic tests and services, has commercialized an on-site test capable of detecting more than 40 Potyviruses in less than 30 minutes.

The Potyvirus genus consists of at least 118 viruses that can infect hundreds of plant species. Potyviruses are aphid transmitted, although other means of transmission are possible, which contributes to the rapid spread of the pathogen in host crops. Symptoms will vary among infected plants depending on the host and the Potyvirus that has infected it. Affected crops may perform poorly in the field and / or produce undesirable characteristics, making the crop unmarketable. Some Potyviruses, like Plum pox virus, also have regulatory impacts if detected.

Agdia’s POTY ImmunoStrip® provides growers a new tool for detection and surveillance of Potyviruses. The test has been validated to detect more than 40 viruses within the Potyvirus genus and can be used to test more than 50 crops. That list will continue to expand as more validation data is produced. ImmunoStrip tests are grower-friendly and do not require special laboratory skills to use. The ImmunoStrip test shows comparable sensitivity and reliability to other antibody-based laboratory methods such as ELISA.

To perform the test a user would tear off a piece of suspicious plant material and insert it into an extraction bag included with a test kit. Once the plant tissue has been extracted by rubbing it with a pen or marker, the ImmunoStrip is inserted directly into the bag which initiates the test. As the test runs one or two lines will appear indicating a negative or positive result, respectively. Agdia recommends allowing the test to run 30 minutes but positive results may be visible in 5 minutes or less.

The POTY ImmunoStrip is offered by Agdia in kits of 5 and 25 tests. ImmunoStrip kits include everything necessary to perform a test except scissors. Agdia provides a 1 year warranty on purchased kits. For more information on the POTY ImmunoStrip, visit the company’s website at www.agdia.com, e-mail info@agdia.com, phone 1-574-264-2615 (toll-free 800-622-4342) or fax 1-574-264-2153.