BOSTON
\nA new pregnancy strip-like test can quickly and accurately detect Zika and dengue viruses from blood, according to a study which used serum samples from several affected countries including India.<\/p>\n
The test developed by researchers, including those from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, accurately diagnoses Zika and dengue and can tell the two mosquito-borne viruses apart.<\/p>\n
Researchers checked the accuracy of the test by testing blood serum samples taken from people in regions where Zika has hit hardest, including Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, India, Mexico and Panama.<\/p>\n
It resembles a pregnancy test strip and contains antibodies that react to the presence of Zika or dengue virus, and gold nanoparticles that respond to the antibody reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn light of the problems with Zika virus causing microcephaly – a genetic abnormality resulting in a smaller- than-normal head – and other defects in babies born to infected mothers, it is important a pregnant woman would know if her fever is caused by Zika virus or dengue virus,\u201d said said Lee Gehrke, a professor at MIT.<\/p>\n
To use the test, a medical professional would dip the strip into a tube of either blood serum or whole blood, the study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it is a positive test, then we see a dot or a line on the test that results from seeing the gold nanoparticles that signal the antibodies recognising the viral protein,\u201d said Gehrke.<\/p>\n
The test can tell Zika from dengue, and also can distinguish among four different strains of dengue, Gehrke added.<\/p>\n
Zika and dengue both belong to the same viral family, which are called flaviviruses. They are two closely related viruses spread by the same mosquito, researchers said.<\/p>\n
The team developed the new test because current testing products sometimes cross-react between Zika and dengue, providing a false positive for Zika when the patient actually has the other virus.<\/p>\n
The test proved 80 per cent to 90 per cent accurate in detecting Zika and avoiding false positives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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