World’s First Kit for Direct Detection of Zika Virus in Blood Developed

Ever since Zika virus has emerged as a health threat, efforts have been directed towards the development of rapid methods of detecting the presence of Zika virus strains in the blood for early diagnosis and prompt interventions.

Zika virus infection manifests in the form of fever and congestion of the conjunctivae. Infection in pregnant women can lead to microcephaly (abnormally small head) in the newborn children. The previous marketed kits had been designed to detect the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to the Zika virus in the bloodstream.  These kits have been hailed incapable of detecting the early stage Zika virus infection. 

In an attempt to make the early diagnosis of Zika virus possible, Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. has come up with the world’s first kit by combining antibody screening technology and nano-colloidal gold technology. This kit is capable of directly detecting the presence of Zika virus strains in the blood, even during the early stages of the disease. 

ZIKV Detection Kit

This latest kit has been designed in such a way that it identifies the presence of Zika virus infection in merely 10 to 15 minutes, a characteristic that is crucial for diagnostic tests and kits.  In stark contrast to other kits available for the same purpose that employ the PCR technique for Zika virus detection, a process that takes an average of a half to one day for yielding results, this kit gives results quite fast. 

The kit functions via immunochromatographic assay, a method that senses the presence of antibodies to nonstructural protein (NS1), which is a structural component of the Zika virus. The sensitivity of the kit has been found to be equal to that of the kits that employ the same principle for the detection of influenza and other viruses. 

One of the main benefits of this kit is its cost-effectiveness. Its method of operation is also quite easy. It does not require any special equipment to function. All it takes is to dip the strip in the blood sample in order to identify the Zika virus strains within blood, if present. It is capable of detecting Zika virus even at a concentration of 102TCID50/mL in the bloodstream. 

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The Future Outcomes

This kit will prove to be a major achievement in curbing the spread of Zika virus infection and preventing large-scale epidemics, especially after Zika virus was declared to be a major health threat by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February, 2016. 
Considering that millions of people in South and North America, especially Brazil, are at serious risk of contracting Zika virus via the transfer of body fluids, this kit will turn out to be a major cost-effective as well as speedy diagnostic process for early detection of Zika virus. It will help treat the infection in its initial stages before it becomes a major health concern and jeopardizes the health of the patients. 

Further studies are under way to make the kit’s performance even better in order to stop the Zika virus infection in its tracks.