Written By: Tavishi Dogra | Updated : August 2, 2022 4:56 PM IST
Zika Outbreak: Doctors Stress On Preventive Measures
Zika Virus News: Along with coronavirus and monkeypox, our country is also gripped by the threat of the zika virus, as its cases keep coming up. But here's some good news for you amongst all these. A researcher's team is operating to create a gadget that can be snipped to a smartphone to rapidly test the zika virus with a single dot of blood. Zika virus infection is presently seen via polymerase chain reaction trials conducted in a lab, amplifying the virus's hereditary material and letting scientists witness it.
As per the news agency IANS, Brian Cunningham of the University of Illinois in the US said, "We have created a clip-on instrument so that the back camera of the smartphone can detect the cartridge." Brian said that when there's a favourable response, you see little leafy buds of fluorescence that refill the whole cartridge with green glare.
In the new analysis, researchers used loop-mediated isothermal amplification to detect the virus in blood samples using an approach suitable for point-of-care clinics. Whereas PCR requires 20 to 40 repeated temperature changes to amplify the genetic material, LAMP only requires a single temperature of 65 C, making it easier to control.
Additionally, PCR tests are susceptible to contaminants, especially other parts of a blood sample. LAMP, however, does not require any such purification step. Instead, a cartridge containing the reagents needed to detect the virus is inserted into the device to be tested while the device is clipped to the smartphone.
Once the drop of blood gets ingested by a patient, a set of chemicals breaks down the blood cells and virus within five minutes. Then, a heater under the cartridge heats it to 65 C. The second set of chemicals amplifies the viral genetic material, and if the blood sample contains the Zika virus, the fluid inside the cartridge turns bright green. The whole process takes 25 minutes.
Researchers are now developing similar tools to detect other mosquito-borne viruses and are working on making the devices even smaller.
