A southern Wisconsin man who visited Toronto in mid-April and then developed symptoms of pneumonia is Wisconsin's first probable case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, health officials said this week.
This development was almost simultaneous with the announcement that EraGen Biosciences, Inc., a Madison-based company, has developed a rapid specific assay test to detect SARS. This is the only SARS test that has been developed in the United States, and with general verification could become the first to reach market.
Kathy Harben, spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said SARS is not a serious threat to Wisconsin.
\I would say that SARS is a threat in Wisconsin only if people from Wisconsin are traveling to areas where SARS is a problem,"" she said.
The World Health Organization lists Toronto, which is where the Wisconsin man suspected to have SARS likely picked up the virus, as an area affected by SARS. To date, the WHO says there are 54 probable cases of SARS in the United States.
Mark Wegner, chief of Wisconsin's communicable disease epidemiology section, told the Wisconsin State Journal the man suspected to have SARS has been discharged.
""The individual is recovering at home and public health officials continue to monitor his progress,"" Wegner said.
According to the State Journal, two other people in Wisconsin are also being monitored by health officials after showing symptoms compatible with SARS-a school-age girl from northeastern Wisconsin and an adult man from southern Wisconsin. Both traveled to Toronto before becoming ill.
Meanwhile, EraGen's SARS test could aid in the effort to combat the disease. The test was recently validated by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease, according to EraGen spokesperson Regina Reynolds. The test will now be proven on patient samples, after which it will be available as a research-use only product.
Reynolds credited EraGen's Aegis technology with the company's success.
""We believe that our Aegis technology gives us a competitive edge, allowing us to quickly develop products. In layman's terms, Aegis is an expanded DNA alphabet. This basically allows for a better molecular detection system when looking at genes and RNA/DNA,"" Reynolds said.
EraGen moved to Madison from Gainesville, Fla. in 2002. Reynolds said the company has a terrific relationship with UW and area businesses and facilities.
