Handheld Device Detects Infections in Horses

StableLab, an Irish firm, has developed a handheld device that can be used to determine whether a horse has an infectious or inflammatory disease. The device (also called StableLab) analyzes a blood sample for the presence of serum amyloid A (SAA), a protein that is present only when the horse has an infection. Combining biomarker and digital technologies, StableLab produces a result within a few minutes.

Veterinarians from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky have used StableLab in the field and have found it to be as sensitive as other laboratory methods, with a shorter wait for an answer. By matching the color readout to a scale of colors, a veterinarian can easily determine whether a particular blood sample contains SAA. This test is more reliable as an indicator of infection than white blood cell levels, according to the maker.

The device does not go beyond confirming that a horse has an infection, and laboratory analysis of a blood sample may be needed to determine the exact diagnosis so that treatment can be started.