US physicians developed a simple but accurate Zika test

Dangerous Zika Virus: US researchers are developing a simple and inexpensive test
For months, a pathogen that is suspected of causing neonatal skull defects is spreading in several countries: infections with the Zika virus are mainly reported from Brazil. In the US, researchers have now succeeded in developing a simple and inexpensive test for the detection of the virus.

Dangerous virus is rife in Latin America
For months now, the Zika virus transmitted by the Egyptian tiger mosquito (Aedes aegypti) has been rife in parts of Central and South America. Brazil is particularly affected, the number of Zika infections is estimated at 1.5 million, 57 babies died from the Zika virus. Recently, scientists have been able to demonstrate a link between infections with skull malformations in babies. In this developmental peculiarity, called microcephaly, children are born with an unusually small head, which can lead to brain malformations and mental retardation. In addition, the virus can trigger a serious nerve disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Researchers at the US Harvard University have managed to develop a simple test for the detection of Zika virus. (Image: pressmaster / fotolia.com)

Researchers are developing a simple and inexpensive test
Researchers at Harvard University in the US have now developed a simple and inexpensive test for the detection of Zika virus. As the scientists report on the website "Harvard Gazette", a slice of paper is used for the examination of blood, saliva or urine samples. If the disc turns violet, the virus is present. According to a report by the news agency AFP, the new test can detect the virus even if it occurs in relatively low concentrations. This distinguishes him from previous tests. In blood, saliva and urine, the concentrations of the virus are usually extremely low.

Less than one dollar per patient
According to the Harvard scientists, the test that has now been developed has the advantage that it is more accurate and less complicated than previous methods. It is said that even an untrained eye can easily determine from the changing colors whether the virus is present or not. Zika is often confused in previous tests with other pathogens such as the dengue or West Nile virus. In addition, the test costs less than one US dollar per patient. The only Zika reference laboratory in Germany, the Hamburg Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), advised in an earlier message to all those returning from a tropical trip and typical symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, skin rash and a get non-purulent conjunctivitis of the eye to be examined by means of a laboratory test. Pregnant female returnees and male returnees with pregnant sexual partners should also be tested without symptoms. (Ad)