Quarantine authorities have come up with a new computer chip to help detect the SARS virus on animals and plants as well as various foods. And a group of virologists in Beijing have given the technology their approval.
The new chip holds the genetic data of the SARS coronavirus. That means it can accurately detect the presence of the virus and monitor its mutation.
The chip is the offspring of three bodies － the Beijing Quality Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Benyang Zhenyuan Co., Genetic Technology and the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. Experts hope the technology will help safeguard human health and guarantee the security of agricultural production in China.
"We now have a reliable and scientific means to detect the SARS virus. We can use it to ensure that animal and plant products from China are not contaminated with the virus," said Tian Bo from Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"This detecting system will keep clear of technical barriers imposed by other countries on exports of Chinese food, animals and plants. It will also provide a safeguard against the spread of SARS from abroad," said Wei Chuanzhong, director of Beijing Quality Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.
The new chip technology also has several other functions. It can be used in environmental surveillance and to search for the origin of virus.
