We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




New Blood Test Can Determine When an Individual Was Exposed to a Pathogenic Microorganism

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 19 May 2020
An international research team has developed a diagnostic blood test – initially for the recurring form of vivax malaria – that can determine when an individual was exposed to a pathogenic microorganism, including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Investigators at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (Melbourne, Australia) and colleagues in France and Japan sought to develop a method for identification of individuals carrying clinically silent and undetectable liver-stage malaria parasites, called hypnozoites.

To this end, they developed a panel of serological exposure markers capable of classifying individuals with recent Plasmodium vivax infections who had a high likelihood of harboring hypnozoites. More...
The investigators measured IgG antibody responses to 342 P. vivax proteins in longitudinal clinical cohorts conducted in Thailand and Brazil and identified candidate serological exposure markers.

Candidate markers were validated using samples from year-long observational cohorts conducted in Thailand, Brazil, and the Solomon Islands and antibody responses to eight P. vivax proteins were shown to characterize P. vivax infections that had occurred during the previous nine months with 80% sensitivity and specificity. These eight antibody responses could serve as a biomarker panel, identifying individuals who should be targeted with anti-hypnozoite therapy.

"Many tests for immunity give a simple “yes or no” answer to whether someone has antibodies to the infectious agent," said senior author Dr. Ivo Mueller, joint head of the division of population health and immunity at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. "In contrast, our test - which was initially developed to look at malaria infections - can pinpoint how long ago a person was exposed to an infection. This information is extremely valuable for tracking the spread of an infection in a population. Particularly in lower income countries it may not be possible to monitor the actual spread of the infection, but it is very helpful to look retrospectively at whether the infection has been spreading - and to monitor the effectiveness of infection control programs, and respond to disease resurgence. We will be working with the Australian biotech company Axxin (Fairfield, Australia) to develop a diagnostic test for malaria that can be deployed in the field, based on the immune markers our laboratory testing identified."

Dr. Mueller said, "We have already started to study the blood of people who have had COVID-19 infections to document the types of antibodies they carry. In the next six months we hope to have discovered how these antibodies change over time, meaning we can use this information to explore immunity in wider groups in the community. This is not a tool for diagnosing individual people, but rather for monitoring COVID-19 disease spread in populations."

The malaria antibody test was described in the May 11, 2020, online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

Related Links:
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute


Gold Member
Flocked Fiber Swabs
Puritan® Patented HydraFlock®
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Host Response Immunoassay Test
MeMed BV
New
Gold Member
Serological Pipets
INTEGRA Serological Pipets
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.