Comparing Detection Methods for the Zika Virus

Abstract

At the time of this study in 2015, there was no set detection method best used for detecting the Zika Virus (ZIKV). After testing an infant who displayed Zika Virus symptoms and found a negative test result in a blood sample but a positive test result in a saliva sample, a team of scientists conducted an experiment to compare the detection methods to find the most accurate detection method.

They found that the Zika Virus was detected more frequently in saliva than in blood, but had a short window of time for detection. The conductors of this experiment suggest that saliva is a good and noninvasive source for sampling in neonates and when blood is not available, but using both blood and saliva would lead to the most accurate testing result.

Even though an accurate detection of the Zika Virus is established, finding a cure for this virus has not yet been found and is open to research. There is still no new information on the prevention for microcephaly in pregnant women infected with this disease and is still yet to be researched and discovered. As this virus has been declared a “public health emergency” by the World Health Organization, more research should be conducted on the epidemiology and virology of this virus.