Scientists Devise 30-Minute Bird Flu Test

Could be critical in containing outbreak among humans
By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 24, 2007 3:37 AM CDT
Scientists Devise 30-Minute Bird Flu Test
A health worker, right, collects blood sample from a relative of bird flu victim Ayu Srinadi for examination in Tanah Lot, Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007. The 29-year-old woman Srinadi died Tuesday after coming into contact with sick chickens on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. (AP Photo/Firdia...   (Associated Press)

Researchers have developed a test that can identify bird flu in just 28 minutes, according to a study published this month in Nature Medicine. If bird flu mutates to a form readily passed among humans, rapid testing could be critical in identifying and containing an outbreak in its early stages. Current tests take between several hours and several days.

The test is "equally sensitive and is 440% faster and 2,000-5,000% cheaper" than those currently in use, according to a statement from the researchers. Testers use a throat swab taken from a subject and immerse it in a droplet of a compound that responds to specialized magnetic fields. A magnet helps pull out the virus' RNA, which is then tested. (More avian flu stories.)

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