Veterinary Diagnostics Trends in India
Veterinary diagnostics refer to various tests conducted to detect the presence of disorders among animals. They are conducted by analyzing the samples of blood, feces and tissues of livestock, wild and pet animals. These tests are based on various technologies, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in situ hybridization (ISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and gene sequencing. The primary test categories include screening tests that are used for the detection of a disease in healthy animals, and confirmatory tests that are conducted to classify disease status in a clinically diseased animal. As a result, they are commonly used in pathology, bacteriology, toxicology, nutrition and virology testing centers.
A significant increase in the adoption of companion animals and pet ownership resulting from improving urban lifestyle across the globe represents one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Furthermore, rising instances of zoonotic and foodborne diseases are also driving the market growth. As the demand for animal-derived food products is growing, there is an increasing requirement for veterinary diagnostic services to detect zoonotic gastrointestinal diseases, viral infections, tuberculosis and rabies, which can be contracted by humans through pets and livestock. Additionally, various technological advancements, such as the development of improved immunoassays, biosensors, non-polymerase chain reaction techniques for nucleic acid detection and proteomics for disease diagnosis, are acting as other growth-inducing factors. Veterinarians are also using rapid tests and portable instruments for the effective diagnosis of diseases. Other factors, including significant growth in the poultry and agriculture industries, along with increasing expenditure capacities for the management of animal health, are anticipated to drive the market further.
The India Veterinary Healthcare Market is segmented by Product (Therapeutics (Vaccines, Parasiticides, Anti-Infectives, Medical Feed Additives, and Other Therapeutics), Diagnostics (Immunodiagnostic Tests, Molecular Diagnostics, Diagnostic Imaging, Clinical Chemistry, and Other Diagnostics), and Animal Type (Dogs and Cats, Horses, Ruminants, Swine, Poultry, and Other Animals).
Animal disease diagnostics forms a connecting link between the cause and cure of any disease, and thereby, plays a fundamental role in disease management and prevention. A small outbreak of disease can pose a threat to the entire animal community. Thus, to ensure the overall wellbeing of animals, the practice of veterinary diagnostics becomes essential. This field is growing exponentially, driven by the need to control and prevent diseases in animals. Data collected from millions of animal tissues and fluid samples help create drugs and vaccines. A major push in the development of animal disease diagnostics has been towards innovative methods that can provide complete and robust results in less than 24 hours or even during the course of the initial examination of the animal.
Market Overview
The Veterinary Diagnostics Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.5% from 2022 to 2029 to reach $9.58 billion by 2029. The increasing burden of zoonotic and foodborne diseases has opened the door for their early diagnosis & prevention. Further, rising demand for livestock-derived food products, favorable government initiatives, increasing animal health expenditure, and technological advancements in veterinary diagnostics are expected to propel the global veterinary diagnostics market.
However, the increasing pet care costs and dearth of veterinary practitioners for livestock animals are expected to hamper the growth of the veterinary diagnostics market.
The Indian veterinary healthcare market was valued at approximately USD 1,169.8 million in 2021, and it is expected to reach USD 1,856.3 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of more than 7.70% during the forecast period, 2022-2027
The COVID-19 pandemic has been continuing to transform the growth of various markets, as the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries registered a drop in demand, numerous other markets may continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. In addition, supply disruption and medicine shortages of veterinary medicines had been observed in several countries, primarily due to the temporary lockdowns of manufacturing sites, export bans, and increased demand for medicine, for the treatment of COVID-19. Hence, the market is anticipated to be impacted during the pandemic due to the reduced veterinary visits, along with the shortage of veterinary medicines, during the outbreak of COVID-19
Zoonotic diseases are naturally transmitted from animals to humans due to the consumption of contaminated food and water and exposure to the pathogen during preparation, processing, or by direct contact with infected animals or humans. Zoonotic diseases are caused by microorganisms, like viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. Microbes can cause different types of diseases in humans and animals, ranging from mild to serious infections, and can even lead to death. As per the article published by the Indian Journal of Community Infection 2020, by Sanjiv Kumar, in India, 13 zoonoses are the cause of 2.4 billion cases of human disease and 2.2 million deaths per year. Among the developing countries, India has the highest zoonotic disease burden, with widespread illness and death. Hence, owing to these factors, the market is expected to grow in the forecast period.
The market is largely driven by the approval of new products related to the treatment of animal disorders. In September 2019, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated a livestock vaccination scheme with INR 13,343 crore aimed at controlling livestock diseases, especially foot and mouth disease (FMD) and brucellosis. In addition, in March 2020, Wiggles, an Indian pet care startup, launched online veterinary consultation for pets across India. In January 2019, under the ‘Animal Health and Welfare Policy 2018, the Delhi government launched its first 24×7 veterinary hospital to provide extended care to companion and farm animals, which will likely boost the market.
Impact of COVID-19 on Veterinary Diagnostics Market
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to take its toll on global markets, the veterinary diagnostics market will be affected in the upcoming years as there is a surge in the development of veterinary diagnostics products for protecting and animal diagnosis. A small number of pet cats and dogs have been infected with the virus in several countries. SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported in a small number of animals worldwide, mostly in animals that had close contact with a sick person with COVID-19. A few of the examples of pet cats and dogs that have been reported to be infected with the virus in several countries, including the U.S., are as follows:
- In June 2020, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) announced the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in a pet dog (German shepherd) in New York state. This is the first dog in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2.
- In April 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) announced confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in two pet cats which got infected as their owner had tested positive for COVID -19
However, regarding these cases, CDC, USDA, and state public health and animal health officials in several countries are working to conduct active surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in pets, including cats, dogs, and other small mammals had to contact with a person with COVID-19. The animals are being tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection to see whether the pet develops antibodies to this virus. Thus, the research on SARS-Cov-2 in animals is limited, but several studies are underway to learn more about coronavirus infection. This led to the development of various assays and kits. For instance, in April 2020, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.) launched the IDEXX SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) RealPCR Test for pets in response to the growing evidence in rare cases, pets living with COVID-19 positive humans can be at risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Growth Prospects in Emerging Markets is Influencing Veterinary Diagnostics Market Growth
Emerging countries in the Asia-Pacific region offer high growth opportunities for veterinary diagnostic manufacturers, owing to the rising prevalence of foodborne and zoonotic diseases, increasing animal population, increasing demand for animal-derived food products, and favorable government campaigns conducted in these regions. According to a study conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), India has a high burden of zoonotic disease and low-income countries, such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. 60% of all disease-causing pathogens are of animal origin, and 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in India. Thus, the increasing disease outbreaks in emerging countries are driving the demand for a better diagnosis of animals to prevent economic losses.
Also, governments across developing countries are undertaking several campaigns and schemes for combating disease outbreaks in animals. For instance, in August 2018, Shandong University approved a proposal to create an Eco health/One Health Institute in China, which comprises Chinese and international professionals who work on varied veterinary and environmental health disciplines. The aim of creating an Eco health/One Health Institute is to tackle major and complex animal health concerns in China
Therefore, campaigns and initiatives supporting animal diagnosis in emerging economies offer significant opportunities for veterinary diagnostic manufacturers.
Key Components of Veterinary Diagnostic System
Vet Laboratory
The vet laboratory provides a facility for medical testing of infectious toxins or agents in animal diagnostic samples. Veterinary professionals such as public officials related to wildlife management or public health, animal owners, and scientists submit these samples for analysis. Special testing laboratories include molecular, pathology, bacteriology, Health Assurance Testing Services (HATS), toxicology, nutrition, and virology testing centers.
Vet Devices
The FDA defines veterinary (vet) devices as instruments, apparatuses, or accessories used for diagnosis of diseases, wherein vet devices include diagnostic test kits, syringes, needles, surgical instruments, X-ray equipment, prosthetic devices, and dental appliances.
Veterinary Diagnostic Test Kits
Various test kits used to control animal movement include kits for activated clotting time in dogs and cats, refrigerated veterinary diagnostic test kits with a shelf life of up to two years, and non-refrigerated test kits with a shelf life of up to 18 months, urine testing, and parasite detection systems.
Veterinary Diagnostic Techniques
Quality assured diagnostics are important for providing appropriate treatment. Hence, the diagnostic technique should be rapid, sensitive, specific, and cost-effective. The classical diagnostic approach includes microscopic technique, cell culture, and serologic assays. With advancements in healthcare, a large array of diagnostic tests have become available, and various modern diagnostic modalities are often routinely used.
There are two major types of test categories:
- Screening Tests:Tests used for clinically healthy animals to detect the possibility of a disease
- Confirmatory/Diagnostic Tests:Tests used for clinically diseased animal to confirm the diagnosis or classify disease status
Advances in Diagnostic Technology by Integrating the Use of New Tools
Traditionally, laboratory diagnostics for veterinary pathogens have relied on methods of detecting the pathogen by culture or antibodies, using varied techniques, such as neutralization, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), agar gel immunodiffusion, and complement fixation. Over the years, veterinarians have incorporated new molecular diagnostic techniques, such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Western blot, as well as improved older techniques by using recombinant antigens, monoclonal antibodies, and synthetic peptides. Despite the routine use of conventional diagnostic assays, new molecular techniques have enabled veterinarians to use new tools for rapid and specific diagnosis of animal disease in real-time.
Improved immunoassays
The production of specific proteins or peptides that serve as target antigens or positive control reagents is possible with new biotechnological methods, such as the cloning of genes, overexpression of immunogens, and use of expression vectors and peptide synthesis in existing and newly-developed immunoassays. The use of these improved antigens can increase the specificity or sensitivity of immunoassays by providing a more defined target for binding antibody, which, in turn, can reduce serial-to-serial (lot-to-lot) variation of test kit performance.
Biosensors
Through the development of biosensors, the detection of either the agent or antibodies has been possible. Biosensors use a receptor (usually an antibody) to identify the target pathogen or a disease-specific antibody and a transducer that converts a biological interaction into a measurable signal. Some of the transducer technologies under-development include electrochemistry, interferometry, reflectometry, resonance, and fluorimetry. Biosensors, coupled with sophisticated instrumentation, are used to produce highly-specific analytical tools, most of which are mainly used for research and development due to their high cost.
Nucleic acid diagnostics
The inclusion of nucleic acid-based diagnostics in veterinary medicines has redefined the level of information for animal disease control programs. Nucleic acid detection techniques such as PCR and real-time PCR have led to the development of rapid, specific assays. The use of such single-tube, closed assay detection techniques decrease the problem associated with cross-contamination among samples and facilitate easy detection of positive samples effectively based on the amount of fluorescence released during amplification.
Non-polymerase chain reaction techniques for nucleic acid detection
With the advent of promising and sensitive gene amplification techniques such as Nucleic Acid Sequence-based Amplification (NASBA), the need for thermocycler is eliminated. The NASBA is an isothermal system, operated at a single temperature. It is a two-step process that involves an initial enzymatic amplification of the nucleic acid targets, followed by the detection of generated amplicons.
Proteomics
Proteomic technologies have immense potential in veterinary diagnostic applications as they target the patterns of protein expression of the target analyte, such as virus, bacteria, parasite, etc. Various proteomic techniques that are currently applied to veterinary science, include proteomic approaches to animal disease pathogenesis, recent achievements in immunoproteomics (i.e. identification of antigens involved in immune response through proteomic techniques), histoproteomics (i.e. the application of proteomics in tissue processed for immunohistochemistry), and clinical proteomics (i.e. the identification of new biomarkers of animal diseases through proteomics).
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology test platforms such as nanoarrays and nanochips have the potential to analyze a sample to determine an array of infectious agents on a single chip. This involves identification of specific strains or serotypes of disease agents (including identification of specific influenza strains) or the differentiation of diseases caused by different viruses but with similar clinical signs, such as vesicular viral diseases.
Animal Diagnostic Market: An Overview
The globalization of trade in animals and animal products is a major driver for the improvement of the analytical and diagnostic quality of tests. The global companion veterinary diagnostics market is expected to reach USD 6.51 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 20.1% from 2017 to 2022.
On the basis of technology, the companion veterinary diagnostics market is broadly segmented into:
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
- Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)
- In situ Hybridization (ISH)
- Immunohistochemistry (IHC)
- Gene Sequencing
- Other Technologies
Global Veterinary Diagnostic Market Players
The global veterinary diagnostics market is dominated by IDEXX Laboratories (U.S.) and VCA Antech (U.S.). A large share of IDEXX and Antech is attributed to their revenue from the reference laboratories business, where they have a competitive edge over other leading players in the market.
Other major players are:
- Abaxis Corporation (U.S.)
- Heska Corporation (U.S.)
- Mindray Medical (China)
- Neogen Corporation (U.S.)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.)
Drivers and Challenges in the Veterinary Diagnostic Market
Impact of Advancements in Diagnostic Techniques
Diagnostics encourage animal health by disease prevention and control of critical livestock diseases. This improves the overall nutritional quality of food products obtained from animals.
Zoonotic Disease
Innovation is required for timely identification, monitoring, and treatment of fatal diseases that can pose a threat to human health. The HealthforAnimals Industry Survey confirms that the animal health sector plays a major role in the control of diseases in the human population.
The Global Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance
Antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, are substances used to kill microorganisms or to stop them from growing and multiplying; they are commonly used in both human and veterinary medicine to treat a wide variety of infectious diseases. Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of a microorganism to resist the action of one or more antimicrobial agents. Robust diagnostic technologies can limit the unnecessary use of antimicrobials by disregarding inappropriate prescriptions for infections that are caused by viruses and for which an antibiotic is not required.
Lifespan of Animals
There is an immediate need for timely diagnosis and treatment of fatal diseases in animals. The lifespan of companion animals has increased over the past few years as a result of advancements in diagnostic techniques and responsible pet ownership.
The growth of the veterinary diagnostics market is mainly driven by the increasing focus on cost reduction by pharmaceutical companies and the rising demand for target therapies. In the companion diagnostics sector, breast cancer and lung cancer in animals are the most prominent diseases. An extensive research on breast cancer biomarkers is projected to be continued.
India will possibly continue to be the largest market for companion diagnostics, followed by North America ,Europe. Technologies employed in veterinary diagnostics have immense potential to improve early detection of diseases in developing countries, where centralized diagnostic capacity is not well-established.
Factors such as a large consumer base, high disposable income, increased awareness, presence of suitable infrastructure facilities, and acceptance of novel approaches in medicine will encourage rapid development of the animal diagnostics sector.
Veterinary healthcare can be defined as the science associated with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases in animals. The increasing importance of the production of livestock animals is generating growth in the veterinary healthcare market. The Indian veterinary healthcare market is segmented by product (therapeutics (vaccines, parasiticides, anti-infectives, medical feed additives, and other therapeutics), diagnostics (immunodiagnostic tests, molecular diagnostics, diagnostic imaging, clinical chemistry, and other diagnostics), and animal type (dogs and cats, horses, ruminants, swine, poultry, and other animals). The market report also covers the estimated market sizes and trends for 17 different countries across major regions globally. The report offers the value (in USD million) for the above segments.
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Key Market Trends
The Vaccine Segment is Expected to Have the Highest Growth Rate Over the Forecast Period
India has been in lockdown and has suspended trade with other countries and implemented travel restrictions, which affected the import and export activities of veterinary medicines and diagnostics, leading to a decline in sales of many products. Supply disruption and medicine shortages of veterinary medicines have been observed in several regions due to the temporary lockdowns of manufacturing sites, export bans, increased demands for medicine for the treatment of COVID-19, and the stockpiling of medicines by individuals. However, the government has been taking up measures to mitigate the supply of medicines and veterinary practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, in March 2020, the Government of India stated that all states must ensure that medical help for animals is treated as an essential service, which does not get suspended during COVID-19 lockdowns across the country.
Vaccines are comprised of viruses, bacteria, or other disease-causing organisms that have been killed or altered so that they cannot cause any disease, thus, boosting immunity. Vaccines are being manufactured that contain genetically engineered components derived from those disease agents. The vaccines segment is expected to be driven by innovations in vaccines, growing awareness of animal health, increasing investments by government bodies and associations, increasing demand for animal protein, including milk, meat, eggs, and fish, and rising healthcare expenditure for companion animals.
In May 2021, Hyderabad-based Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) launched Raksha Class, a classical swine fever (CSF) vaccine, which is a unique cell culture technology-based vaccine for pigs, developed in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly.
Competitive Landscape
The Indian veterinary healthcare market is moderately competitive and consists of several major players, such as Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Elanco Animal Health, IDEXX Laboratories Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., Vetoquinol SA, Virbac, and Zoetis Inc. These companies are primarily focusing on various growth strategies, such as collaborations, partnerships, agreements, mergers, and acquisitions, in order to enhance their market presence.
Major Players
Recent Developments
- In May 2021, Boehringer Ingelheim India launched its poultry vaccine VAXXITEK HVT+IBD, an innovative recombinant single-shot vaccine for ensuring the life-long protection for all types of production chickens, namely, broiler, layer, and breeder.
- In December 2021, Fujifilm India Pvt. Ltd, a pioneer in medical imaging and diagnostic technologies, recently joined hands with A’alda Vet India Pvt. Ltd to boost healthcare facilities for pets. As part of the partnership, Fujifilm India will provide innovative medical and screening devices to DCC (Dogs, Cats, and Companions) animals.
Immunodiagnostics Segment Dominated the Veterinary Diagnostics Market in 2021
The growth of the immunodiagnostics segment is attributed to the growing adoption of diagnostic products based on immunodiagnostic technology and the development of advanced diagnostic immunoassay tests. Further, a higher preference for immunodiagnostics tests by veterinary practitioners owing to its high accuracy standards, increasing usage of miniaturized devices, and rising trend of automation in immunoassay instruments are contributing to the largest share of the segment.
Based on Product, Consumables Segment is Projected to Register Fastest Growth in the Veterinary Diagnostics Market by 2029
The commercial availability of a diverse range of reagents and consumables for various diseases and animal health screening, growing awareness regarding regular animal health check-ups leading to its frequent use of consumables, and the emergence of various POC tests and assays are the key factors contributing to the growing demand for consumables.
Point-of-care Testing is Projected to Register Fastest Growth in the Veterinary Diagnostics Market by 2029
The factors propelling the growth of the segment include the availability of a comprehensive test menu, improvised results with immediate care, reduction in time-dependent changes, improving patient results with immediate care, and shifting trend towards opting for POC testing by farm owners & visiting veterinarians for regular animal health screening & disease diagnosis.
Asia Pacific: Fastest Growing Market
At the regional level, North America dominated the veterinary diagnostics market in 2021, while Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. The factors driving the growth of the Asia-Pacific veterinary diagnostics market are a large population of livestock animals, the rising incidence of various zoonotic diseases, and a focus on adopting new technologies in animal healthcare.
Key Players
The report includes a competitive landscape based on extensive assessment of the product portfolio offerings, geographic presences, and key strategic developments in leading industry market players over the past four years. The key players profiled in the global veterinary diagnostics market are IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Zoetis Inc. (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.), Heska Corporation (U.S.), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), bioMérieux S.A. (France), INDICAL BIOSCIENCE GmbH (Germany), Agrolabo SpA (Italy), Neogen Corporation (U.S.), IDvet (France), and GD Animal Health (Netherlands).
Veterinary Diagnostic Consumables Market, by Disease
- Heartworm Diseases
- Feline Leukemia
- Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD)
- Influenza
- Avian Influenza
- Swine Influenza
- Other Influenza
- Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)
- Bluetongue (BTV)
- Bovine Tuberculosis (TB)
- Bovine Herpes Virus (BHV)
- Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS)
- Newcastle Disease
- Avian Mycoplasma
- Other Diseases
(Other diseases include infectious bronchitis virus, pneumonia, Mycoplasmosis, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, anemia, Johne’s Disease, Equine Piroplasmosis)
- Systems/Instruments
- Software
Veterinary Diagnostics Market, by Technology
- Immunodiagnostics
- ELISA
- Other Immunodiagnostic Technologies
(Other immunodiagnostic technologies include immunoassay analyzers, rapid immunoassays, and allergy-specific immunodiagnostic tests.)
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Molecular Diagnostics
- PCR
- Other Molecular Diagnostics Technologies
(Other molecular diagnostic tests include microarrays and DNA sequencing.)
- Hematology
- Urinalysis
- Other technologies
(Other Technologies comprises microbiology and histopathology tests)
Veterinary Diagnostics Market, by Animal Type
- Companion Animals
- Canines
- Felines
- Other Companion Animals
(Other companion animals comprise rabbits, birds, reptiles, snakes, and other small animals)
- Livestock Animals
- Ruminants
- Bovine Animals
- Other Ruminants
- Swine
- Poultry
- Other Livestock Animals
(Other livestock animals comprise equine & fish)
- Ruminants
Veterinary Diagnostics Market, by End Users
- Reference Laboratories
- Veterinary Hospitals
- POC/In-house Testing
Veterinary Diagnostics Market, by Geography
- North America
- U.S.
- Canada
- Europe
- Germany
- France
- U.K.
- Italy
- Spain
- Rest of Europe (RoE)
- Asia-Pacific (APAC)
- Japan
- China
- India
- Rest of APAC (RoAPAC)
- Latin America
- Middle East & Africa
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