New DNA-Based Blood Test Screens For Any Of 206 Species Of Viruses Known To Infect Humans

Pulmonary Medicine Blog By Dr Deepu

The New York Times (6/5, A14, Grady, Subscription Publication) reports that with “less than a drop of blood, a new test can reveal nearly every virus a person has ever been exposed to,” according to research published June 5 in the journal Science. The test, still considered “experimental, can be performed for as little as $25 and could become an important research tool for tracking patterns of disease in various populations.” In addition, it could “be used to try to find out whether viruses, or the body’s immune response to them, contribute to chronic diseases and cancer, the researchers said.”

        The Washington Post (6/5, Dennis) “Speaking of Science” blog reports that the “DNA-based blood test,” called VirScan, “works by screening the blood for antibodies against any of the 206 species of viruses known to infect humans.” The human “immune system, which churns out specific antibodies when it encounters a virus, can continue to produce those antibodies decades after an infection subsides.” the new blood test “detects those antibodies and uses them as a window in time to create a blueprint of nearly every virus an individual has encountered.”

        The NBC News (6/5, Fox) website points out the significance of the new test. Currently, “most blood tests are designed to look for one particular virus at a time.” Investigators “tested blood samples from 569 people from the United States, Peru, South Africa and Thailand.” While the test was “not perfect,” it proved to be “95 to 100 percent accurate” in people with HIV and hepatitis C.

        Also covering the story are the NPR (6/5, Greenfieldboyce) “Shots” blog, Health Day (6/5, Norton), Medical Daily (6/5, Bushak), and BBC News (6/5, Ball