The test turns purple when the virus is present.AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
Researchers have developed a portable diagnostic test for Zika virus infection that can be deployed in regions without access to expensive laboratory resources. The test, which involves amplification of viral RNA in a chemically heated cup and detection via a color-changing dye, was capable of detecting virus in saliva sample at a sensitivity of 5 plaque-forming units (PFU) in under 40 minutes, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania reported yesterday (June 29) in Analytical Chemistry.
“The more tools we can have for molecular point-of-care diagnostics for the Zika virus, the better,” Keith Pardee of the University of Toronto told The Scientist. Pardee and colleagues recently developed their own low-cost, paper-based Zika test.
The ongoing Zika outbreak has prompted an urgent need for cheap, portable diagnostics ...
