CDC and Puritan develop kit for norovirus detection
The sterile collection system was developed with Dr Jan Vinje of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Puritan said the custom configured swab features a flat paddle tip for sampling a range of environmental surfaces.
The firm added environmental scientists are now armed with the device and protocol to detect norovirus and to confirm decontamination was effective.
Norovirus causes 19 to 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis per year, according to the CDC with outbreaks typically spiking between February and March.
Following development work in 2013, a team of researchers collected specimens from public locations.
When swabs were processed in a lab they reliably collected and transported norovirus.
Puritan manufactures all of its flocked swab products in the Guilford, Maine facility.
