Africa: New field test advances Ebola diagnoses

Researchers have developed a rapid, cheap and reliable field test to detect two strains of the Ebola virus. The study, carried out by Canadian, Congolese, Dutch, Gabonese and German scientists, was published on 15 November in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. In 30 minutes, the test detects viral proteins of Zaire and Sudan Ebola virus from samples of patients' urine and serum using an 'immunofiltration assay'. The samples are chemically deactivated to prevent infection to workers.