07 Nov 2013

The Ministry of Agriculture conducts testing for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) at two laboratories based at the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) and the Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory (BNVL).

This was stated by the Assistant minister of Agriculture, Mr Oreeditse Molebatsi in response to a question in Parliament asked by Okavango MP, Mr Bagalatia Arone on November 6. He explained that diagnostic tests used at laboratories to detect FMD in Botswana were virus isolation in cell cultures, Enzyme-linked Immusorbent Assay (ELISA) and the virus neutralization test (VNT).

He said the BVI laboratory was a high security facility that could handle tests involving use of live and inactivated virus. The BNVL on the other hand was a low security facility and can handle tests that utilise inactivated virus. “All tissues and serum samples from outbreaks and/or potentially infected animals are handled at BVI,” he said.

The assistant minister said FMD surveillance in the green zone and testing of imported animals to prove absence of disease is conducted at BNVL. Mr Molebatsi explained that the FMD virus could survive in cattle tissues for a week between temperatures of 1-7 Degrees Celsius, while in pig tissues the virus can survive for 1-6 weeks between the same temperature ranges.

Mr Arone had asked the assistant minister to state the diagnostic tests used at laboratories to detect FMD disease in Botswana, and the temperature under which the virus can survive. ENDS