First Zika medical test developed in Germany

German researchers have developed a diagnostic test that can accurately detect the Zika virus in humans. Until now, the only way to determine if someone had the illness was to wait to see if the disease’s distinctive symptoms appeared.
Genekam, a German biotechnology company, has created technology that can not only reveal the presence of Zika pathogens in a blood sample, but also shed light on the quantity in the patient’s blood, Deutsche Welle (DW) reports.

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The new test can therefore definitely determine if a person is a carrier of the Zika virus, as only one in five people infected actually becomes ill, the media reports. Additionally, the test renders diagnostic results in real time, which is relatively quick for a virus of this kind.

“Our test examines DNA and works with chemicals that react to the Zika virus only,” Sudhir Bhartia, a virologist and one of the co-developers of the innovation, told DW. The researcher also added that the test provides sufficient accuracy, as “similar pathogens like Dengue fever won’t show up in the results.”

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However, the technology has its limitations, as it can only be employed in specialized medical facilities and laboratories having the appropriate equipment and personnel with sufficient know-how.

“The test must only be used by qualified personnel so that mistakes can be avoided,” Bhartia stressed.

At the same time, it is rather cheap, costing about €5.

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According to Deutsche Welle, the first kits containing the new tests have already been sent to Brazil, which is suffering from a Zika virus epidemic in which up to 1.5 million people may have been infected. Under normal circumstances, the test would go through a lengthy authorization phase. However, due to the emergency situation in South America, authorities have made an exception in this case.

The Zika virus has been rapidly spreading across the globe since the first cases were reported in Brazil in May of 2015. Between three and four million people have been infected with the virus worldwide, according to WHO data.

The infection is believed to be mainly transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is present in all continents, including the southern United States and the Mediterranean region. According to medics, the virus is generally not dangerous for healthy adult people. Its symptoms, if they emerge at all, are much like those of a usual flu.