Our partners: Andre' du Toit from Envirocare

Our partners: Andre' du Toit from Envirocare

Envirocare's Andre du Toit on South Africa’s water safety challenges, next-generation sequencing and the three factors driving the shift to molecular diagnostics.
 

Firstly, what's your role at Envirocare?

I'm the Microbiology Lab Manager looking after its strategic direction and overseeing the technical oversight. I also handle client requests and make sure our scientific services align with evolving regulatory and industry demands.

Envirocare is involved in multiple divisions, right?

Yes – four core pillars essentially; veterinary diagnostics, food and water microbiology, environmental analysis and full chemistry/heavy metal testing. The emphasis is on validated methodologies and ISO-aligned systems. Supplying defensible scientific data that clients can act on with confidence is key, as are rapid turnaround times.
 

You've been working with Celtic for some years?

Celtic has been a key supplier partner, particularly in supporting our technical capabilities and instrumentation requirements. They're partners who have helped us grow operationally. Our relationship is built on shared principles of reliability, technical competence and responsiveness. And as our testing scope expands – particularly in molecular diagnostics – our strong supplier partnership allows us to maintain quality, uptime, and innovation without compromising compliance. 
 

You have an expanding molecular diagnostics scope. What’s driving that directional shift?

Three major factors are in play. Firstly, speed of detection is key. Molecular-based methods significantly reduce turnaround time. And then sensitivity and specificity; earlier and more accurate detection is possible. And of course, molecular based methods are becoming more cost-effective. Add all that to the fact that clients are under increasing pressure to manage biosecurity risks, be export compliant, and show traceability and it's a win-win. Molecular platforms allow us to deliver high-resolution data that supports real-time decision making rather than retrospective investigation.

MG and MS testing has seen a notable increase recently. What’s behind the rise in requests?

The increase in Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) testing reflects heightened biosecurity awareness within the poultry industry. Increased movement of poultry stock between farms and processing facilities, stricter export and hatchery certification requirements and greater awareness of subclinical production losses are all factors that make producers recognise the value of proactive surveillance rather than outbreak management. 
  

Envirocare is ideally placed to gauge current water quality challenges across the country. If you were heading up an action group to future-proof systems, what would you suggest?

South Africa’s water safety challenges are structural and systemic and need to be managed as a preventative public health system, not a reactive crisis response. Thus, a standardised, national monitoring protocol with enforced reporting accountability would be a good idea. So would decentralised rapid testing capabilities in high-risk municipalities. And of course, investment in infrastructure rehabilitation, especially wastewater treatment. Technology has an important role to play; real-time data integration platforms for early warning alerts should be standard.
 

Laboratories are pivoting toward precision medicine, with next-generation sequencing (NGS) at the forefront. Is this relevant for veterinary diagnostics?

Absolutely. NGS – including whole genome sequencing – is transforming veterinary diagnostics through detailed pathogen characterisation, vaccine monitoring and genotyping, even enabling outbreak traceability. Routine diagnostics remain PCR-driven, but NGS provides epidemiological depth and strategic intelligence. Particularly in high-value production systems and export environments. Recently costs have come down and bioinformatics pipelines matured, its relevance will only expand.

 
If you could highlight two things for running a dynamic lab, what would they be?

I'd say strategic agility and client service are the top two elements.

Agility means understanding and embracing emerging technologies, adapting to regulatory changes and anticipating industry needs well before they become essential requirements.

Client service for us, is to be able to treat each and every client with the utmost care irrespective of how much samples comes through the lab and the number of clients. The lab is, after all, both a testing facility and what I call a decision-support engine. Our clients are our partners, working together towards a better, safer, more compliant world.