Search for better Zika diagnostics kicks into overdrive

There are no vaccines, preventative measures or particularly effective tests for Zika virus, which the World Health Organizations expects to rapidly spread through the vast majority of the Americas. The virus effects pregnant women and is linked microcephaly, a birth defect that can result in significant disabilities and death. Concerns in some areas are so great governments have issued recommendations for citizens to delay pregnancy until 2018.

In light of the growing concerns over the virus, researchers are working as fast as they can to develop better diagnostic tools to catch it early on, according to a report from The Scientist.

The current standard test for a Zika infection is checking for the presence of viral RNA in patient samples. The procedure is not ideal because viral RNA degrades after a short period of time, so if patients aren't tested within a limited window the virus can easily become undetectable. Other tests that determine whether a person is afflicted with the virus are based on the number of antibodies they are producing against it, and it can be difficult to read, as viruses similar to Zika, such as dengue, would produce the same physiological response.

"We're trying to do the best we can to give some answers to the clinicians relatively soon," Nikos Vasilakis, PhD, who is developing Zika tests at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, told The Scientist.

Although there are commercial antibody tests available for field and mobile clinic use, all are still of the non-specific variety. Dr. Vasilakis' lab is working to identify a Zika-specific antibody that could lead to the development of a test to single out the infections from similar viruses, although he said testing for that procedure is still months away.

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