Test Rapidly Diagnoses Hemorrhagic Fevers

A single test for 10 deadly viral hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa, has been developed by an international team of researchers.

Viral hemorrhagic diseases are associated with high rates of illness or death. There is no treatment currently available for most of them. The main benefit of the new test will be rapid diagnosis leading to effective containment and public health measures, according to epidemiologist Dr. Ian Lipkin, of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health (New York, NY, USA). The test was reported in the March 2006 issue of the printed and online journal "Emerging Infectious Diseases.”

The new test uses a combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and mass spectrometry techniques. It can screen simultaneously for two variants of Ebola (from Zaire and Sudan), Marburg virus, Lassa virus, Rift Valley fever virus, Crimean hemorrhagic fever virus, as well as Hantaan, Seoul, yellow fever, and Kyasanur Forest viruses. The combined test takes slightly longer than individual testing for a single virus but is more efficient and cheaper.

In a study, the system correctly identified samples of DNA from all the various known viruses. In addition, the equipment was tested in a blinded fashion using clinical samples from patients that had been previously identified. The test correctly matched the original diagnosis in all cases.

The test has the potential to evaluate up to 32 different diseases, the researchers said, and work is proceeding to add additional viruses. They are also exploring the possibility of adding tests for bacterial or parasitic agents that have similar clinical syndromes to the hemorrhagic fevers.



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Columbia U. Mailman School of Public Health