Sussex start-up unveils mobile poultry diagnostics lab
A Sussex County-based business plans to take poultry disease management on the road with a new mobile laboratory.
While Delaware hasn't seen a deadly avian influenza outbreak since 2004, the virus posed a serious threat to poultry growers in the Midwest, where more than 50 million chickens died in 2014-15.
Whether it's bird flu or another contagious poultry disease, the key to avoiding mass casualties is early detecting and containing possible outbreaks. The avian flu, especially the strands detected in the Midwest, is highly contagious and has been detected in more than 100 different species of wild birds, primarily shorebirds and waterfowl. Chickens can get infected through direct contact with infected birds, or through contact with surfaces contaminated with the viruses.
Delmar-based Veterans Technology Systems has created a mobile diagnostics lab to test onsite for 13 types of viruses and bacteria to avoid devastating impacts diseases like the avian flu could potentially have on Delaware's chicken industry.
"We can pull up, do testing, and get the results in just a few hours," said Robert Hilliard, the system developer and company's co-founder.
Otherwise, poultry growers take possibly diseased birds to the University of Delaware's Lasher Laboratory near Georgetown where samples are sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa. While the experts at the university can make a presumptive determination whether a bird is infected or not, official test results can take up to three days to complete.
Hilliard said in a press release that his company's mobile lab can perform the same level of testing and share results with state and federal agencies.
The 1,600-pound lab is a self-contained pod that can be loaded onto a trailer or truck and is equipped with solar power. Veterans Technology Systems CEO Michael Triglia said the lab can be deployed on short notice, and also used for onsite testing to detect any early-stage infections.
Sussex County is one of the nation's largest broiler chicken producers, with the chicken industry accounting for about 70 percent of Delaware's farm income. First State poultry growers produced about 245 million birds in 2016, at a value of nearly $1 billion, according to the latest data from the Delmarva Poultry Industry.
"An opportunity to help the poultry industry, while also potentially developing quality employment in lower Delaware, is a winning combination," said state Rep. Danny Short, R-Seaford, who recently toured a prototype of the mobile lab with several other Delaware lawmakers.
A press release stated the company has filed provisional patents for the mobile poultry diagnostic laboratory and testing processes. The company is now conducting market research and writing a business plan in preparation of seeking investors and meeting with economic development officials. For more, go to www.veteranstechsys.com or call Jackie Mitchell at 302-628-3488.
