“Feline Herpesvirus Antigen Detection Kit: A Capable Assistant for Ensuring Cats’ Health”

I. Specific Applications

In professional cat breeding farms, the feline herpesvirus antigen detection kit is indispensable. Before cats are mated in breeding farms, comprehensive health checks are usually carried out on the mating cats, among which feline herpesvirus testing is particularly important. Using this kit can ensure that the mating cats are not infected with feline herpesvirus, because mating infected cats may spread the virus to their offspring and affect the health of kittens.

In the context of cat competitions, to ensure the health of the competing cats and the fairness of the competition, the organizers will also require health testing of the competing cats. The feline herpesvirus antigen detection kit can quickly test the competing cats and exclude infected cats from participating. This not only ensures the health of other cats in the competition but also enables the competition to be carried out in a fair and healthy environment, avoiding unnecessary disputes caused by disease transmission.

II. Usage Methods

1. Sample Collection
   • First, soothe the cat’s emotions, because a cat in a nervous state may not cooperate with sample collection. Use the swabs in the kit to collect samples from the cat’s nasal cavity, conjunctiva, and oral mucosa. When collecting nasal cavity samples, fix the cat’s head and gently insert the swab into the nasal cavity with an appropriate depth, rotate the swab to obtain secretions. When collecting conjunctiva samples, gently roll the swab on the conjunctiva to ensure that the swab fully contacts the secretions. For oral mucosa sample collection, wipe moderately inside the cat’s mouth. Immediately put the collected swab into the collection tube.
2. Sample Processing
   • If the kit requires sample processing, carefully read the instructions. For some samples that need to be diluted, accurately dilute them according to the specified dilution factor. For example, if the instructions require a 1:10 dilution, accurately measure 1 part of the sample and 9 parts of the diluent for mixing to ensure proper sample processing and prevent the test results from being affected due to improper processing.
3. Detection Operation
   • If it is a kit using immunochromatography technology, carefully drop the processed sample onto the sample pad of the test strip, usually about 3 – 5 drops. After dropping, place the test strip on a horizontal and clean surface and wait for 5 – 15 minutes. During this period, keep the environment quiet and avoid interference with the test strip. For kits based on ELISA technology, after adding the sample to the corresponding well of the micro – well plate, add various reagents in accordance with the operation process of the kit, perform strict incubation and washing operations, and finally read the results with an enzyme – linked immunosorbent assay reader.
4. Result Judgment
   • For immunochromatography kits, when both the test line and the control line show color, it indicates that the cat is infected with feline herpesvirus. If only the control line shows color and the test line does not show color, the cat is not infected. If the control line does not show color, the test result is invalid and needs to be retested. For ELISA kits, the judgment is based on the cut – off value provided by the kit. If the OD value of the sample is higher than the cut – off value, it is judged as positive, that is, the cat is infected; if it is lower than the cut – off value, it is judged as negative.

III. Advantages

1. Early Warning
   • The feline herpesvirus antigen detection kit can detect the virus at the early stage of a cat’s infection. When a cat has just been infected with the virus and has not yet shown obvious clinical symptoms, detection can timely discover the infection. For breeding farms and cat – keeping families, measures can be taken in advance, such as isolation and preventive medication, to prevent large – scale outbreaks of the virus among the cat population and reduce the cat’s morbidity.
2. Reducing Cross – Infection
   • In places where cats gather, such as pet hospitals and catteries, using this kit can quickly screen out cats infected with feline herpesvirus and then isolate and treat them specifically. This effectively reduces the chance of cross – infection among cats and ensures the health of the cat population. For example, in the waiting area of a pet hospital, if infected cats can be quickly detected and isolated, other healthy cats coming for treatment can be prevented from being infected.
3. Providing Treatment Directions
   • After detecting that a cat is infected with feline herpesvirus, doctors can formulate more precise treatment plans based on the test results. For example, relatively mild treatment methods may be adopted for cats in the early stage of infection, while more targeted and intensive treatment measures can be taken for cats with severe infections. This helps to improve the cat’s treatment effect, shorten the treatment cycle, and make the cat recover health faster.