Rapid test for bird flu developed

A test that can detect any of the 15 known strains of bird flu in just 24 hours will make it easier to screen wild birds for the virus without harming them.

Standard tests involve growing the virus in cells in a dish, which takes two weeks. Faster tests are available that rely on the DNA-amplifying PCR technique to detect the DNA of various avian influenza strains. “But they don’t always pick up the virus from swab samples from a bird. Some require tissue samples,” says Simone Warner of the Department of Primary Industries in Victoria, Australia.Her team modified the key components, called primers, used for avian flu PCR testing. In tests on around 1500 bird swab samples, the method detected any of the 15 strains every time.An Australian national surveillance system is being discussed. The new test should speed up the process and thus allow a rapid response.(Source: New Scientist magazine, issue 2505 of 25 June 2005, page 22.)