The arrival of two newly fitted-out mobile laboratories which can be delivered swiftly to site by truck, will make fruit fly diagnosis and detection easier for the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI).
Previous facilities were cramped and took too long to become fully operational, whereas the new labs are designed to be picked up by a truck and then delivered and plugged into field headquarters power and water systems.
This means the MPI can have a laboratory function up and running with a day of starting a response to a possible fruit fly outbreak.
MPI’s investigation and response director Veronica Herrera says in a fruit fly investigation, several laboratory tasks take place – the examination of any insects trapped in the high-risk area, the slicing of fruit collected from the area to look for fruit fly eggs or larvae; and the incubation of any fallen fruit that may contain eggs or larvae so any hatching insects could be identified.
Herrera says there is a large amount of potential risk material examined from a fruit fly surveillance zone during a fruit fly investigation and it is not appropriate to move this material out of the zone for laboratory examination.
“We need this mobile laboratory capability to be moved into the surveillance zone to maintain quarantine,” she says.
“The new portable labs meet fruit fly containment requirements and have suitable lighting and ventilation flows to ensure that quarantine is maintained
“The two units work in relationship with each other and include adequate space for the entomologists (insect specialists).”
Herrera says the ministry now has better examination and inspection facilities, improved containment, greater flexibility at the site headquarters and cheaper establishment costs.
