Research holds out hope for faster disease tests
New American question holds out promise for an array of illness tests that tin sack endure carried out yesteryear veterinarians spell help to animals on farms.
Diagnostic tests that chop-chop divulge disease-causing viruses inwards animals together with humans are beingness developed yesteryear scientists amongst the the United States Department of Agriculture using a novel technology scientific discipline called “surface-enhanced Raman scattering,” or SERS.
With SERS, molecules give off their ain unique signals or wavelengths that tin sack endure detected amongst a spectroscope.
Viral molecules are labeled amongst a dye that makes them detectable when a Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation is shone on them. Moving a metallic such every bit gilded or argent roughly the labeled molecules greatly enhances the detection signal.
Microbiologist William Wilson, amongst the Agricultural Research Service Center for Grain together with Animal Health Research inwards Manhattan, Kansas, used this technology scientific discipline to position viruses that tin sack campaign West Nile fever together with Rift Valley fever, both of which are spread yesteryear infected mosquitoes.
Wilson together with his collaborators at the University of Wyoming designed a nucleic acid diagnostic assay to convey molecules roughly gilded nanoparticles inwards solution.
The gilded nanoparticles boost the spectroscopic indicate from the indicator molecule, making it easier to divulge viral nucleic acid from infected cells. They also developed an immunoassay that chop-chop detects antibody responses to viruses.
Scientists promise to eventually adjust the assay to field-based bedside or pen-side diagnostic tools.
For example, an musical instrument similar to a dipstick could endure used to chop-chop create upward one's hear areas where a illness outbreak is occurring. Veterinarians could accept blood samples from animals on farms, set the samples inwards pocket-size vials together with read them amongst a hand-held device to create upward one's hear if a virus is present.
Another wages of the assay is that it tin sack endure used to essay for multiple pathogens, whereas electrical flow pen-side tests are by together with large agent-specific. The sensitivity of the novel diagnostic assay is also greater than the electrical flow pen-side organization together with potentially every bit skillful every bit widely used polymerase chain reaction-based tests.
Findings from this question were published inwards “Biosensors together with Bioelectronics” together with “Analytical Chemistry”.
The question was highlighted inwards a story inwards the Apr 2012 number of Agricultural Research magazine.
Reporting: Sandra Avant
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