Measurement of airborne foot-and-mouth disease virus: preliminary evaluation of two portable air sampling devices.

Until now measurement of airborne foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in the field has not been attempted or been practical; measurements have been restricted to the laboratory and isolation units using instruments developed in the 1960s. However, with the development of air sampling devices for other biological purposes, there is now the possibility that this short-coming can be overcome and as a result earlier detection of virus may be possible in the future. Two recently-introduced commercially-available portable air sampling devices, the BioCapture 650 and the BioBadge 100, have successfully detected airborne virus in three proof-of-concept experiments involving pigs and cattle infected with FMDV. There is an early indication that these devices have potential for use in the field, but for maximum benefit they will need to be combined with a suitable portable analysis instrument. Further evaluation in the laboratory is required before any field measurements are considered.