Researchers at Yale University have discovered a method of broadly detecting viral infections quickly, easily, and for low cost. A paper in the Journal of Infectious Disease published last month details their efforts to design and evaluate the test, which is 97% effective at detecting the presence of a viral respiratory infection.
The test works by evaluating a patient's nasal swab for levels of 3 RNAs and 2 proteins, selected because they are produced in high concentrations only by patients experiencing a viral respiratory infection. Author Ellen Foxman MD put it succinctly in an interview with Science Daily. "Instead of looking for individual viruses, our test asks the question: 'Is the body fighting a virus?'"
In the future this test may allow doctors to better discern between viral and bacterial infections, limiting the overuse of antibiotics and narrowing down the possible causes of illness in a patient. Researchers believe they can bring the technique to market in 1-5 years, which is remarkably fast for this type of diagnostic. Hopefully progress is swift in its ongoing development.
-J. Cole Holderman
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Quick, Cheap, and Effective Test Can Tell if a Patient Has a Viral Respiratory Infection
Mohammed
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