Eurofins adds virus variant distinction to its SARS-CoV-2 monitoring solution for wastewater, food and environmental surfaces
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Eurofins adds today virus variant monitoring capabilities to its commercially available SARS-CoV-2 stand-alone
test kit portfolio. This new solution is also part of the Eurofins Covid-19 Sentinel™ and the SAFER@WORK™
program which provide an early warning of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 amongst large populations at a given
site (e.g. a city, factories, education institutions, government and public service sites, nursing homes), before the
virus spreads too broadly.
At those sites, wastewater and environmental surface testing, offered as part of the Eurofins COVID-19
Sentinel™ programme, can give an early indication of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, therefore allowing
for relevant containment measures in order to avoid an outbreak of the disease even before symptom onset, and
now also identifying the involved virus variants.
The VIRType SARS-CoV-2 Mplex (N501Y, A570D) kit provides all reagents for the rapid detection and distinction
of the SARS-CoV-2 UK (lineage B.1.1.7) or South Africa (lineage B.1.351) and Brazil (lineage P1) variants in
wastewater, food and on environmental surfaces via RT-qPCR. Single point mutations referring to the UK
(N501Y, A570D) or South Africa and Brazil lineages (N501Y) respectively help to distinguish between the two
SARS-CoV-2 variant types. The kit can be used as a confirmatory assay and is part of the VIRSeek product line,
including efficient RNA extraction by using the VIRSeek RNAExtractor as well as highly specific subsequent
SARS-CoV-2 detection by using the VIRSeek SARS-CoV-2 Mplex.
The VIRSeek solution is already successfully being used in many countries worldwide for the quantification of
SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater as an early pandemic indicator for communities. We will shortly add a quantitative
approach focusing to determine SARS-CoV-2 variant distribution in the wastewater delivering crucial information
for monitoring viral spread.
For further information:
Nadine Göhring
kits@eurofins.com
About Eurofins Technologies
Building on the experience and scientific excellence of the Eurofins Group, Eurofins Technologies is a fast-growing global provider of diagnostic technologies and industry-leading ELISA-based instruments in the field of bioanalytical testing for the food, feed, environmental, animal health, and clinical diagnostics industries.
For further information, visit the Eurofins Technologies website.
About Eurofins – the global leader in bio-analysis
Eurofins is Testing for Life. With over 50,000 staff across a network of more than 800 laboratories in over 50 countries, Eurofins’ companies offer a portfolio of over 200,000 analytical methods.
Eurofins Shares are listed on Euronext Paris Stock Exchange.
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