January 28, 2009 – Research Triangle Park, NC – Leading dairy and mastitis researchers participated in an interactive demonstration of technology that will speed and simplify the process used to detect and diagnose mastitis. Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) introduced the revolutionary QuickSmear™ rapid differential slide at the 2009 NMC 48th Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC, this week.
AAD’s QuickSmear rapid differential slide allows researchers to prepare a slide in less than one minute and more easily identify and count three different types of live white blood cells, or leukocytes -- lymphocytes, neutrophils and macrophages. This replaces manual milk smear preparation, which takes 30 to 90 minutes. The differential inflammatory cell count uses the body’s immune response to detect mastitis at a subclinical level earlier and more reliably than by using traditional methods like somatic cell counts or the California Mastitis Test.
“We’ve known that differential cell counts give dairy researchers access to valuable information, however traditional methods for obtaining them are very time consuming and labor intensive,” said Rudy Rodriguez, president and chief technology officer, AAD. “Our QuickSmear is the first to make differential cell counts simple, fast and accurate. Essentially, we’re turning one of the most complicated lab processes into one of the simplest.”
Previously, the analysis of differential cell counts in a laboratory setting involved the creation of a manual milk differential smear. The labor-intensive process involves several steps, including coating a slide, adding a drop of milk, using a multi-step staining process, and oil immersion before analyzing with a microscope. Air drying is required between each step, making it a time-consuming task for researchers and nearly impossible for use in field applications.
However, with the new QuickSmear slide, researchers can simply mix milk with a stain, then put one drop of the mix on a QuickSmear slide. The slide uses a proprietary wedge shape to self-prepare the smear, automatically producing a mono-layer of cells that is easily viewed under a fluorescent microscope.
The QuickSmear™ rapid differential slide is the first product commercialized by Advanced Animal Diagnostics and the forerunner of technology that will later be introduced for on-farm use by dairy producers. QuickSmear research slide kits will be available for purchase by dairy researchers in February.
Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) was founded in 2001 to commercialize exclusively licensed proprietary technology for the diagnosis of farm-animal diseases, beginning with those that affect milk and milk products. In addition, the company has also developed intellectual property internally, which will have many applications in farms and veterinary medicine. AAD is located at 1912 HWY 54 East, Durham, NC 27713. For more information about Advanced Animal Diagnostics, please visit www.advancedanimaldiagnostics.com.