Doctors can now let out a sigh in relief as researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis, MO, developed a new test which can detect any virus in both animals and humans. The study is published in Genome Research.

Thousands of viruses can potentially infect humans and animals but detecting this virus can be a daunting task as it requires series of tests to be performed to detect low-level viral infections or viruses that are believed to be responsible for a patient's condition.

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The new test for viruses called "ViroCap" can detect viruses that are not detected by standard testing based on genome sequencing.

"With this test, you don't have to know what you're looking for. It casts a broad net and can efficiently detect viruses that are present at very low levels. We think the test will be especially useful in situations where a diagnosis remains elusive after standard testing or in situations in which the cause of a disease outbreak is unknown" stated Dr. Gregory Storch, a professor of pediatrics at Washington University in St. Louis.

According to report published in Infection Control Today, the new test could be used to detect outbreaks of deadly viruses such as Ebola, Marburg and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), as well as more routine viruses, including rotavirus and norovirus, both of which cause severe gastrointestinal infections.

The scientists evaluated the ViroCap test in two sets of biological samples-from blood, stool and nasal secretions, from 14 patients at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The new test found viruses in four children that regular genome sequencing testing had missed (regular test detected virus in 10 out of 14 patients). Moreover, standard testing failed to detect common, everyday viruses: herpes virus 1, responsible for cold sores in the mouth; influenza B, a cause of seasonal flu; parechovirus, a mild gastrointestinal and respiratory virus; and varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox.

In the second set, standard test found 11 viruses while the new test found another seven viruses including respiratory virus called human adenovirus B type 3A, which is usually harmless but may cause serious infection in some patients.

UPI reported that researchers plan to conduct further research to validate the accuracy of the test.

TagsNew Virus Test, Test To Detect All Virus, ViroCap Test, Virus Test In Animals And Humans, New Test For Viruses