New blood test can scan and identify more than 1000 viruses

Scanner for Viruses: From Blood Drop to Viral "Fingerprint"
One drop of blood is enough to detect 1,000 different viruses in a new test against which the immune system has fought at some point in their lives. An international research team led by geneticist Stephen Elledge of Harvard Medical School reports in the journal "Science". "VirScan" looks for traces in the immune system that leaves each virus. The researchers hope to gain further insight into the development and control of diseases with the new "virus scanner".

Scanners for viruses also find pathogens that have not caused any disease
With "VirScan" it is possible to reconstruct a large part of the disease history of a human being. Because the new test, for which a drop of blood suffices, can detect hundreds of viruses that have been combated by the immune system during their lifetime. The procedure is based on the body reacting with the production of antibodies to viruses - regardless of whether they have caused a disease. The traces of a decayed infection are still detectable in the blood after decades.

A simple blood test gives information. Image: Michael Horn / pixelio

As part of their investigations, the researchers analyzed blood samples from 569 study participants. On average, they discovered ten traces of previous virus infections. In two participants, the researchers even identified 84 different viruses in the blood.

"VirScan is a bit like looking back in time: With this method, we can take a tiny drop of blood and see what viruses a person has been infected with over many years," explains Elledge. "What makes this so unique is the extent: At present, a doctor has to guess what virus it is and test it individually. With VirScan we can search for nearly all viruses, even rare, with a single test. "

Scanners for viruses could be used mainly in epidemiological research
"The test can be helpful for epidemiological research if you want to find out which viruses are common in a population," said Hartmut Hengel, vice president of the Society for Virology of the University of Freiburg, compared to "sueddeutsche.de". For the medical practice, however, the procedure is less suitable, since it is unable to distinguish between an acute and a long-ago infection. In addition, only viruses could be detected, which are already known, reports Hengel.

Elledge and his team also see VirScan's main area of ​​application in epidemiology. The test could also provide information about previously unknown interactions between viral infections and the immune system and explain the relationships of infections in childhood and the onset of disease only decades later. For example, such long-term consequences are known for human papillomaviruses and cervical cancer as well as Epstein-Barr viruses and very rare lymph node tumors. This pathogen, which also causes Pfeiffer's glandular fever, was detectable in the blood of 87 percent of study participants.

"A viral infection can leave an indelible mark on the immune system," says Elledge. "A simple, reproducible method, such as VirScan, can help us to establish new hypotheses and to understand the interaction between the virom and the host's immune system." (Ag)