Researchers from the University of Minnesota (UMN) College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) have developed a COVID-19 diagnostic test for animals.
Assistant Professor Sunil Kumar Mor, BVSc, AH, MVSc, PhD, at the UMN’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and his team, are using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing to analyze and measure the virus’s RNA to detect COVID-19 in animals. According to them, researching the genetics of the virus in animals will help with treatment for humans.
So far, recent diagnoses show that some pets, cats, and ferrets can contract COVID-19.
Dr. Mor and his team have previous experience studying other diseases, such as, bovine and turkey coronavirus, infectious bronchitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis, and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV).
