Uaf commerlizes vaccine and sfmt
5
Agri-varsity Faisalabad partners with UM Enterprise, Karachi to commercialize mastitis diagnostic kit and mastitis vaccine Nobody likes to drink milk which is tainted with pus. Yet every Pakistani and citizens of developing countries, every now and then naively consume milk which contains an unacceptably high number of pus cells and germs. This disgrace is because at the very least every 4 th Pakistani cow and every 6 th buffalo is afflicted with a hidden form of swelling or inflammation of udder (technically called mastitis). Mastitis is caused by growth of germs inside the udder (the milk producing organ of dairy animals). The germs growing inside the udder release their toxins, which leads to unacceptably high number of white blood cells (variously called somatic cells) in milk. The milk with high number of white blood cells is unfit for human consumption and for processing by the dairy industry. Mastitis affected animals produce around 25% less milk than unaffected ones. This disease is, therefore, one of the leading causes of low productivity of dairy animals in Pakistan and other developing countries. The increased number of white blood cells in milk can be detected by mixing milk with a detergent. Researchers at the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture (UAF), Faisalabad, Pakistan have pioneered the work for household determination of wholesomeness of raw milk for human consumption by developing an extremely cheap test called 1
-
Upload
khalid-shouq -
Category
Food
-
view
203 -
download
5
description
Agri-varsity Faisalabad partners with UM Enterprise, Karachi to commercialize mastitis diagnostic kit and mastitis vaccine
Transcript of Uaf commerlizes vaccine and sfmt
Agri-varsity Faisalabad partners with UM Enterprise, Karachi to
commercialize mastitis diagnostic kit and mastitis vaccine
Nobody likes to drink milk which is tainted with pus. Yet every Pakistani and citizens of
developing countries, every now and then naively consume milk which contains an unacceptably
high number of pus cells and germs. This disgrace is because at the very least every 4 th Pakistani
cow and every 6th buffalo is afflicted with a hidden form of swelling or inflammation of udder
(technically called mastitis). Mastitis is caused by growth of germs inside the udder (the milk
producing organ of dairy animals). The germs growing inside the udder release their toxins,
which leads to unacceptably high number of white blood cells (variously called somatic cells) in
milk. The milk with high number of white blood cells is unfit for human consumption and for
processing by the dairy industry. Mastitis affected animals produce around 25% less milk than
unaffected ones. This disease is, therefore, one of the leading causes of low productivity of dairy
animals in Pakistan and other developing countries. The increased number of white blood cells in
milk can be detected by mixing milk with a detergent. Researchers at the Department of Clinical
Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture (UAF), Faisalabad, Pakistan have pioneered the
work for household determination of wholesomeness of raw milk for human consumption by
developing an extremely cheap test called Surf Field Mastitis Test (Muhammad et al., 2010,
Tropical Animal Health and Production, 42: 457-464). This test has already been recognized as a
success story in the transfer of farm technology in SAARC countries (www.saic_dhaka.org). It
utilizes 3% solution of a household detergent viz., Surf Excel™ (Unilever Pakistan) and is
compatible with the technical capabilities of every household and illiterate dairy farmer.
1
A farmer executing Surf Field Mastitis Test for diagnosis the sub-clinical mastitis
During the past 17 years, several candidate mastitis vaccines were developed and tested at the
Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad for the
control of this dairy scourge. The most promising results in mastitis control were obtained with a
vaccine incorporating a biofilm producing local isolate of Staphylococcus aureus. Office of
Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
inked an agreement with UM Enterprises, Pvt. Ltd. Karachi for the commercialization of Surf
Field Mastitis Test and mastitis vaccine (MASTIPEPTM). MASTIPEPTM a polyvalent mastitis
vaccine incorporating (a) Staphylococcus aureus (strong biofilm producing), (b) Staphylococcus
aureus (pseudocapsule bearing, hemolysin producing), (c) Escherichia coli, (d) Streptococcus
agalactiae, and (e) Corynebacterium pyogenese (current name is Trueperella pyogenese). Both
of these research products of Agri-varsity Faisalabad are now commercially available in
Pakistan. It is often said with a great deal of truth that research is about solving the problems of
society and certainly not merely about producing ‘ivory tower’, ‘mumbo jumbo’ publications.
Through the aegis of agreement between Agri-varsity Faisalabad and UM Enterprise, Pvt. Ltd.
2
Karachi, Surf Field Mastitis Test and mastitis vaccine (MASTIPEPTM) are now being put to a
good use to address one of the most pressing problems of dairy animals and public health in
Pakistan. The availability of mastitis vaccine and Surf Field Mastitis Test kit to dairy farmers
through university-industry partnership epitomizes how investment in research pays rich
dividends to the society. Efforts are afoot to improve the vaccine and to export it to other
countries.
Mastitis vaccine (MASTIPEPTM) developed and tested by Mastitis Research Lab, Department of
Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) and commercialized
by UM Enterprises, Karachi under an agreement inked between Office of Research, Innovation
and Commercialization (ORIC), UAF and UM Enterprises, Karachi.
Contributors
Mr. Imaad Rashid ([email protected])
Prof. Dr. Ghulam Muhammad ([email protected])
Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
3
