Germany will start testing some 60,000 animals next year, and about half of those will use the Swiss test. Although the test has yet to arrive in the United States, Mr. Oesch, a molecular biologist, sees potential because chronic wasting disease, a cousin of mad cow disease, is found in elk and deer in the western part of the country. Mr. Oesch and his fellow researchers set out to form their company as Switzerland was battling the deadly disease in its beef herds. To date, the Alpine country, known for its cows almost as much as for its chocolate and cheese, has the third-highest incidence in Europe after Britain and Portugal. With a staff of 20, they work inside a laboratory suited up in disposable yellow jumpsuits and double gloves for protection against infection by the animal brain matter they are examining.
Prion diseases cause the slow degeneration of the nervous system.
Prionics-Check is performed on some 20,000 animals in Switzerland each year, Mr. Oesch said. Earlier this fall, Swiss officials were talking about reducing the number of cows tested because of the cost. But that talk has been silenced by the surge in reported cases of mad cow disease in France and the subsequent significant drop in Swiss beef consumption, particularly in western areas adjacent to France. Prionics' fortunes have been lifted by the announcement of the European Union's plan to widen testing across its 15 member states. One co- founder, Markus Moser, said he expected to sell three times the current number of kits in the coming year.