Professor Ahern News Today

Horsetalk.co.nz Portable kit able to deliver Hendra test results in horses in less than an hour Share Professor Ben Ahern, left, with a LAMP Genie III diagnostic machine, veterinary nurse Gabriella Doxey with horse Cartouche, and veterinary researcher Lyndal Hulse holds the Hendra diagnostic sampling kit. Photo: University of Queensland A new diagnostic point-of-care kit can detect the dangerous Hendra virus in horses in under an hour, rather than days. A rapid point-of-care diagnostic...

Share University of Queensland vets are diagnosing the deadly Hendra virus in horses faster than ever, developing a diagnostic point-of-care kit that can detect the pathogen in under an hour, rather than days. Veterinarian Professor Ben Ahern said a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test to detect Hendra infections in horses has been sorely needed for decades. “Hendra virus kills humans and horses alike – the virus spreads to horses from flying foxes, with an infected horse occasionally pass...