The test is designed to identify and differentiate between Zika, dengue, and chikungunya in serum samples, even in the presence of more than one target.
Researchers identified 20 genes with enhanced or muted expression in blood samples from dengue virus cases that progress to hemorrhagic fever or shock syndrome.
With long-read sequencing, mapping, and other approaches, researchers assembled a high-quality genome for Aedes aegypti, a notorious infectious disease vector.
The researchers developed a protocol for dengue and chikungunya virus detection, which they plan to continue to test for outbreak monitoring and diagnostics.
The CDC says that the number of people in the US who have been infected with diseases carried by mosquitoes, ticks, and flea bites have more than tripled in recent years.
The team paired the SHERLOCK platform developed in Feng Zhang's lab with a protocol that detects viruses directly from bodily fluids in less than two hours.
In a point-counterpoint in the Boston Globe, researchers discuss the potential of gene editing to prevent Lyme disease, but also the pitfalls of doing so.
