Abaxis announced that the Center for Veterinary Biologicals of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved its VetScan FeLV-FIV Rapid Test Kit for the detection of FeLV antigen and FIV antibodies from feline blood samples.
Clint Severson, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Abaxis, said, "The USDA approval of the VetScan FeLV-FIV Rapid Test kit is a significant step towards completing the Abaxis rapid test portfolio.
"Feline Leukemia virus (FeLV) and the feline immunodefiency virus (FIV) are retroviruses found in cats, and are among the most common infectious diseases in this species. FeLV-FIV testing is one of the most common tests performed by veterinarians treating feline patients, and Abaxis is proud to offer another high quality, cost-effective test to the veterinary market."
Dr. Craig Tockman, vice president of sales and marketing for North American Animal Health of Abaxis, added, "Veterinarians now have a choice as to what FeLV-FIV test to use when they screen and test their feline patients for these devastating illnesses."
Abaxis develops, manufactures, markets and sells portable blood analysis systems for use in any veterinary or human patient-care setting to provide clinicians with rapid blood constituent measurements.
The system consists of a compact, 5.1 kilogram (11.2 pounds), portable analyzer and a series of single-use plastic discs, called reagent discs, that contain all the chemicals required to perform a panel of up to 13 tests on veterinary patients and 14 tests on human patients.
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