Chinese researchers have developed the technology which can quickly and accurately detect the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus in food, animals, plants and other products.
The technology has passed a technical appraisal by experts in Beijing.
With this technology, technicians can use a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to test for the SARS virus in food, animals, plants and other products, and use virus separating technology to collect and separate the SARS virus from those products.
Researchers from the China Import and Export Commodities Test Technology Research Institute, under the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, took only 18 days to develop the technology.
Tests so far have found no SARS virus in food, animals, plants or other products on the Chinese mainland. The World Health Organization has announced that there is no evidence that such products from SARS-infected areas could become a source of SARS infection among humans.
(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2003)
