The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) has jointly developed the Japanese Encephalitis 1gm ELISA kit.
This could prevent the outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis, which claimed a number of human lives in Assam this year.
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Apart from the JE 1gm ELISA kit, the institutes also developed the Bluetongue sandwich ELISA kit that could be used for detection of Bluetongue virus in animals.
The two ELISA kits were released by ICAR general director Trilochan Mohapatra along with secretary ministry of animal husbandry and dairying Atul Chaturvedi at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Moreover, the two kits are ten times cheaper than the available imported ones.
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Mohapatra said that India imports one diagnostic kit for Japanese Encephalitis virus at Rs 1200-Rs 1500 whereas ICAR and IVRI have developed this kit for Rs 180-Rs 200.
He also said that India has now become the first country in the world to develop a diagnostic kit for bluetongue disease.
While Japanese Encephalitis occurs most commonly in pigs, bluetongue disease is common among cattle and goats which kill them in large numbers.
These kits will soon be made available at the village and block levels to make early detection that could prevent the outbreak of these fatal diseases.