Fever is the most obvious symptom of a bacterial or viral infection. The route to cure is dependent on discovering what the type of infection is, and the faster the diagnosis, faster the treatment. Sometimes, the time of diagnosis makes all the difference and can be the difference between life and death. Conventional blood tests take a few days to confirm whether the cause of fever is dengue, malaria, flu, or any other infection. The blood test for virus or bacteria with paper device can speed up the process of diagnosis and help patients to get the correct treatment much faster.
Blood test for virus or bacteria with paper device may save many lives
A few researchers are working to develop affordable paper diagnostic tests, which might decrease the diagnosis time and point to the cause of diseases in just a few minutes instead of the number of days it usually takes. This could speed up not only treatment but also stop the spreading of infectious diseases on time.
The uses of paper diagnostic tests
Paper sensors which detect biological or chemical molecules have turned out to be extremely convenient, though they are still in the experimental stages. Blood test for virus or bacteria with paper device will not require any expensive equipment or any trained specialists. They would cost only a little bit of money and deliver the same results as any laboratory and blood test viral v/s bacterial infection will become much easier and accessible. The innovative tests would have a very broad application range – for example, detecting and treating little known tropical diseases. These paper device diagnostic tests would be of great use in the developing countries, as more economically backward people would be able to test themselves in a cost-effective manner.
McMaster University research can revolutionize diagnostics
It would be amazing if just a piece of paper could tell you whether you suffer from a simple cold or deadly cancer in just half an hour. That too, at hardly any cost.
McMaster University researchers have developed an amazing diagnostic test, which would let patients know what their malady is. Blood test for virus or bacteria with paper device is one of the ways to know the kind of infection which other scientists are working on. The McMaster University scientists’ paper test just requires just a drop of saliva, sweat, or just a small piece of dried up pulp. The paper test needs a reagent or reactive material, printed on a litmus-like piece of paper which changes color to reveal the DNA sequence for a particular disease.
According to the researchers, this test can be used for almost any disease, as every infectious cell, as well as every disease, has different genetic material.
Till now, the paper diagnostic tests developed by McMaster University has been able to detect Hepatitis C and breast cancer. But, this test can be applied to detect through the paper blood test viral vs bacterial infection or any neurodegenerative diseases, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers, and flu.
Harvard University research
Harvard University scientists have invented paper devices, which can mix, separate, filter and concentrate fluids, carry out timed reactions, as well as control their sequence. All this can be finished via the patterning network of fluid channels on paper. The patterning was done using wax on small bits of paper – the size of postage stamps. The channels or patterns are printed with inkjet printers, so it costs very less. The paper devices can perform very complex tests, which require many processing steps.
Washington University research
A biochemist at Washington University has come up with a plastic device, which is handheld. It contains patterned paper strips, dyes and reagents, and space for a fluid sample. The pattern of dots, which appear after a period of 20 minutes, can be used by a clinician or sent via smartphone camera to a doctor anywhere in the world. The best part is that the box might cost as low as one dollar when manufactured in bulk.
The next challenge is to make this paper strip test available in stores. The researchers say that this too is possible in the near future. More experiments are required to make the paper devices strong enough to last in hot and humid climates. The blood test for virus or bacteria with paper device will change the way diseases are diagnosed once they become readily available.