BIS replaces guinea pig test for pathogen detection

NEW DELHI: A test used on guinea pigs to detect and identify pathogenic organisms that make animal feed unfit for consumption has been replaced by another standard test by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The move will save countless guinea pigs from painful deaths due to the injection of pathogens, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA-India) said in a statement. The BIS move followed PETA recommendations, the body said.

The BIS' Animal Husbandry, Feeds, and Equipment subcommittee — which oversees animal husbandry, feed, and equipment — has replaced the test.

The BIS is a national standards body working under the aegis of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

The standard 'Methods of Tests for Animal Feeds and Feeding Stuffs, Part 3: Microbiological Methods' has been approved by the Food and Agriculture Division Council, which is under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

The foreword to the published revised standard states that "the new methods incorporated in this standard are based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), which are not only very precise and sensitive but also precludes the use of guinea pigs for laboratory testing." (IANS)

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