Chemicon International Inc, a leading provider of infectious disease testing kits, has introduced their West Nile OligoDetect kit. The West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne virus that can be spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. West Nile outbreaks have occurred in Africa, Egypt, Romania, Israel, France, Asia, and Russia but until 1999 never occurred in the United States. People who become infected with the virus experience varying degrees of illness ranging from an asymptomatic infection through mild flu-like symptoms and, in serious cases, development of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord) which can result in death.

The total US confirmed human cases through September 24, 2002 is 2,072 with 98 of these cases being fatal. Since the initial US outbreak in 1999, which affected only 4 states, the virus has spread rapidly across the continent leaving only 6 states that have yet to report the presence of the West Nile virus.

Chemicon''s Chief Science Officer Patrick Schneider says, "With the rapid spread of this virus, a quick and accurate identification kit has become a necessity for laboratories around the world."

Chemicon''s West Nile OligoDetect kit is a post-amplification detection kit for the identification of genetic material specific to the West Nile virus. The kit comes in a high throughput 96 well format that is compatible with equipment common in most testing labs.

The OligoDetect system can be easily adapted to automated instrumentation, requires minimal hands-on time, and contains color coded reagents for ease of use. Results from this test are available in less than 90 minutes. The West Nile OligoDetect kit can be used to detect the presence of nucleic acids specific to West Nile in a variety of different samples including those derived from humans, birds, mosquitoes and horses. This kit is an important addition to the extensive OligoDetect product line, which is used throughout the world for the identification of a broad range of infectious agents. While the West Nile OligoDetect kit has not been approved by the FDA for diagnostic purposes, it can be used for accurate identification of West Nile nucleic acids in the various sample sources described above. In addition to their West Nile molecular identification kit, Chemicon also offers a panel of antibodies specific to the West Nile virus.