Have you heard of PathoScan? This innovative Saskatoon-based start-up is revolutionizing crop disease testing with their cutting-edge pathogen test kit. Their technology delivers lab-quality disease diagnostics right in the field, providing results within hours instead of weeks. This rapid turnaround can significantly reduce crop loss from preventable diseases, which currently affect 20-25% of global crop production annually. PathoScan’s advancements are not just limited to agriculture. We’re thrilled to collaborate with them to extend their technology into the animal diagnostic space.

 Recently, OHMT had the privilege to engage with an interprovincial project focused on the study of Pronghorn—North America’s fastest land animal! This interprovincial Alberta-Saskatchewan project, spearheaded by the Alberta Conservation Association, aims to enhance our understanding of pronghorn winter survival and migration patterns to inform future conservation policies and initiatives. In addition to collaring and assessing over 100 pronghorn this year with additional in future years to come, the project team is providing OHMT with blood samples from the pronghorn they capture. These samples are crucial for validating the PathoScan diagnostic box on blood samples, specifically for bluetongue virus and epizootic hemorrhagic disease. 

We are also looking at using the PathoBox for identification of Echinococcus multilocularis! These tiny tapeworms cycle between wild canids (foxes, coyotes, and wolves) and wild rodents. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Alberta and King’s University, we are actively running preliminary tests to optimize the PathoBox for scat samples.

These parasites are of increasing concern due to their ability to infect dogs, cats, and humans. Eggs of E. multi. are shed in the scat of infected host animals, posing a risk to other animals. Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in dogs, which can be fatal, is becoming endemic in some regions of Canada, the USA, and Europe. This is likely due to the rise in urban coyote populations and subsequent interactions of pets with infectious coyote scat. A few cases of autochthonous human AE have also been diagnosed in western Canada, highlighting the need for improved understanding and monitoring of this parasite.

We are immensely grateful for the support from projects and researchers like these, which enable us to advance our work! Interested in a similar collaboration? Contact us for more information.