Israeli company says holds keys to stop flu's spread

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli start-up CartaSense says it has developed technology that could help stop communicable diseases spreading from livestock to humans, and is in talks with several large companies to mass-produce its products.

CartaSense has been selling its technology -- a tag that integrates a sensor, battery, micro controller, non-volatile memory and a radio frequency circuit that transmits to a control unit -- for three years through other companies.

It targets farmers who have large herds and need to instantly monitor each animal's vital statistics.

Since the H1NI flu virus broke a few weeks ago -- infecting 1,893 people in 23 countries -- CartaSense has been flooded with calls from around the world for the system.

"Everybody wants this as fast as possible," Sharon Soustiel, vice president of business development, said in an interview with Reuters at an international agricultural fair.

Mass production at this stage is not possible as CartaSense, based in a Tel Aviv suburb, is a tiny company of 10 employees, he said.

Soustiel said CartaSense is in talks with a number of large U.S. and European companies to join as strategic partners. He noted the only way it can grow is through partnerships.

"Using our technology, we can avoid the next swine flu," he said. "We can't afford to do it alone."

CartaSense was started to target the broader agricultural sector, but this phase of its development is for cattle.

"Pigs are now our first priority," Soustiel said, adding the CartaSense has a device prototype that could be operational within a year.

The "tag" with the sensor is placed in the ear of the animal and sends information like temperature and heart rate to the farmer's computer or mobile phone in real time.

"If the herd gets sick, you know from where in the herd and you can isolate the sick group and prevent an epidemic from breaking out," Soustiel said, noting the technology can also be used inside beehives to measure temperature and humidity.

A network can be made with the group of tens or hundreds of thousands of cows and they can be monitored even when they move. The network can be used in wide open spaces, since the sensors work up to 500 meters away from each other.

(Editing by Andrew Macdonald)