Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, in West Africa,
Japanese researchers say they have
developed a new method to detect the
presence of the deadly disease in 30 minutes.
According to Professor Jiro Yasuda and his team at
Nagasaki University, the new technology they
developed could allow doctors to quickly diagnose
infection of the Ebola virus.
The team also stated that their process is also
cheaper than the system currently in use in West
Africa where the virus has already killed more than
1552 people, according to the World Health
Organisation, WHO.
"The new method is simpler than the current one and
can be used in countries where expensive testing
equipment is not available," Yasuda told AFP by
telephone.
"We have yet to receive any questions or requests, but
we are pleased to offer the system, which is ready to
go," he said.
Yasuda said the team had developed what he called a
"primer", which amplifies only those genes specific
to the Ebola virus found in a blood sample or other
bodily fluid.
Using existing techniques, ribonucleic acid (RNA) –
biological molecules used in the coding of genes – is
extracted from any viruses present in a blood sample.
This is then used to synthesise the viral DNA, which
can be mixed with the primers and then heated to
60C to 65C.
If Ebola is present, DNA specific to the virus is
amplified in 30 minutes because of the action of the
primers. The by-products from the process cause the
liquid to become cloudy, providing visual
confirmation, Yasuda said.
It was gathered that a method called polymerase
chain reaction, or PCR, is currently widely used to
detect the Ebola virus, which requires doctors to heat
and cool samples repeatedly and takes up to two
hours.
"The new method only needs a small, battery-
powered warmer and the entire system costs just tens
of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars), which
developing countries should be able to afford," he
added.
No fewer than five countries in West Africa have
confirmed cases of Ebola virus within their
territories- Nigeria, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia
and Senegal.
In Nigeria alone, six people have died from the
dreaded disease since a Liberian businessman,
Patrick Sawyer, brought the disease to Lagos on 20
July, 2014.
With more cases of the Ebola virus disease being
reported in the country and suspected patients having
to wait for days to confirm their status, maybe the
new technology would help to reduce the waiting
period.
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