Brazilian researchers develop a test that detects zika, deng | Figure 1

PedroPharmacist

Pharmacist

Brazilian researchers develop a test that detects zika, dengue and chikungunya at the same time. The test was developed by the Bio-Manguinhos laboratory of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in conjunction with the Molecular Biology Institute of Paraná, under the coordination of the Ministry of Health. From the patient's blood it is possible to identify the RNA of the three viruses and allows Determine which of the arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito is present in the sample.

The technique used in the test is real-time PCR, and a complete diagnosis of the three viruses can be made for partial diagnoses of one or two of them, separately, and such a test makes possible the diagnosis in the initial phase of infection. The patient's blood is added to a gauge particle, which consists of a virus with similar characteristics, produced and patented by Fiocruz, but without infectious potential. The result is obtained in five hours.

Source: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).

More about this case

Resolved Verified literature

Why you should join Figure 1

Similar cases

\
A research aimed at overcoming the problematic issue of resistance to drugs used in the treatment of tuberculosis has been developed by researchers from five institutions, including Fiocruz Minas. The idea is to use bioinformatics to understand what happens to the mutating bacteria that are mutated and to resist the antibiotics used to combat them, and then to identify them, analyze their effects on the patient's body, and think about new forms of treatment for him. According to researcher Douglas Pires (Fiocruz Minas), one of the main problems encountered today in the fight against tuberculosis is the time doctors take to confirm that the drug is not working. Thus, one of our main objectives is to speed up this diagnosis, identifying the mutations responsible for the resistance as soon as possible, so that the treatment can be reassessed and modified, given the characteristics of the bacterium that is causing the disease. Douglas and one other Australian researcher have created an online platform being fed by a database of England with samples of patients from around the world who have developed resistance to these drugs, including Brazilians. This information will be sent to the University of São Paulo (USP) and to the University of Cambridge, where they will be validated by groups participating in the project. Source: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

\
Case for students: 5yo, 4 days with fever, exanthem and jaundice (which started at the same time that the fever). I'll give you a big spoiler so I want you to give the most probable diagnosis: He lives in Mexico, Dengue and CHIK negative. Patient died by distributive shock. PCR was >15 with low platelet count and neutropenia.

\
Scientists at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro have concluded that the spread of leprosy can be prevented if the patient's treatment is reconciled with the immunization of the family members of patients with BCG. According to Geraldo Pereira, a researcher at the Laboratory of Cellular Microbiology at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, there was already a scientific knowledge that Mycobacterium leprae expelled through the patient's airway, can contaminate people who have close contact with him if there is no adequate treatment, especially if Both share a home environment. To develop the work, analyzed blood samples from 16 people who had proximity to patients with Multibacillary leprosy patients treated at the Ambulatório Sousa Araújo, of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Of this total, 13 participants received booster BCG vaccine simultaneously with initiation of treatment of patients. After six months, the results of the participants' new blood samples showed that in almost all cases their immune response was strengthened. As there is no specific vaccine to combat leprosy, BCG, used in the treatment of tuberculosis, is the best option, since the causative agents of the two diseases are similar. Pereira explains that with this research it is possible for Brazil to take a step forward in combating the disease. Source: Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases.

\
Researchers at Fiocruz Pernambuco have developed a new vaccine against yellow fever. Based on virus RNA, it was tested in mice and the results achieved 100% protection, even the index reached by the conventional vaccine currently offered by the Unified Health System (SUS). Among the advantages of this new immunization is the possibility of being offered to the attenuated virus vaccine groups (children, pregnant women, elderly people, immunosuppressed persons and people with allergies to egg proteins), as well as large-scale production capacity. The increased coverage of the DNA vaccine may be of more benefit to the population at the time of the disease outbreak, as is now the case in Brazil, where 1,170 suspected cases have been reported in six states, with deaths reported in three of them. Another advantage is that the new vaccine is safer. According to Rafael Dhalia and Ernesto Marques (developers of the vaccine), the safety lies in the fact that the immunization is done without the presence of the live virus, even if weakened, which makes null the chance of adverse reactions and cause death by the fact of DNA is considered an inert molecule in our body. Before reaching the market, the vaccine created at Fiocruz Pernambuco needs to be tested on humans to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Source: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).