A field set-up for LAMP assays has been used to screen for pneumonia in bighorn sheep and could aid in Zika detection.CONNIE BREWSTERTrapping and testing mosquitoes to monitor circulating Zika virus could become more rapid and cost efficient, according to researchers who described a new technique in Science Translational Medicine today (May 3). The assay, which is based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), can distinguish between Asian and African strains of the virus and, in theory, could be used for virus detection directly from mosquitoes in the field.
“You can just simply take mosquitoes and grind them up, or take blood samples and other types of samples from infected humans and directly look for the presence of Zika,” said Richard Kuhn of Purdue University in Indiana who was not involved in the work. “You don’t have to do [RNA] purification, you don’t have to do reverse transcription, so that really simplifies the process.”
The approach enables “testing in remote settings without the need for fancy, expensive equipment,” added Desiree LaBeaud of Stanford University who also did not participate in the research. “It could be useful for vector surveillance and also clinical diagnosis.”
Infection with Zika virus generally causes a short febrile illness, or is asymptomatic. But the virus has also been linked to ...
