A University of Florida team led by a virologist and an engineer has developed an inexpensive, handheld device that can quickly detect seven mosquito-borne viruses, potentially bringing diagnostic testing to clinics and other settings where traditional laboratory equipment is unavailable.
John Lednicky, Ph.D., of the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, and Z. Hugh Fan, Ph.D., of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, developed the device using RT-LAMP technology, which can provide results in 30 minutes to an hour without the specialized equipment required for traditional PCR testing. When validated with human samples, the device performed as well as an RT-PCR test and could help clinicians distinguish among viruses with similar symptoms, including Zika, chikungunya, Mayaro and four types of dengue.