Rapid test for dengue fever developed

Researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) have developed a rapid portable test for one of the world’s fastest-spreading mosquito-borne diseases, thanks to a grant of more than $150,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Research Foundation.

Dengue fever — a painful and deadly disease that infects up to 400 million people every year — is a viral infection that spreads to people from mosquito saliva infected with dengue viruses. There is no treatment other than for relief of symptoms, which include high fever, head and body aches, nausea and rash.

“We developed a rapid test, with results that look similar to a COVID-19 home stick test, for each of the four types of dengue virus,” said grant recipient Dr Joanne Macdonald, who published her results on the open-access platform Gates Open Research.

Macdonald said the innovative method involved a reagent that inactivated the virus during amplification, enabling simpler, quicker and cheaper detection with a higher level of sensitivity than existing stick tests. These four tests were sensitive enough to detect even small amounts of viral genetic material in mosquitoes using only pipettes and a heating block, instead of expensive laboratory equipment.

“Our entire testing process took about 35 minutes on the spot, compared to hours of travel time and PCR processing required for current sampling,” Macdonald said.

“In practical terms, people and authorities in areas with few resources can set a trap and test mosquitos each week, to check whether dengue is present.

“It has the potential to make mosquito screening more accessible, enhancing surveillance and control efforts in countries where dengue is endemic.”

Study co-author Dr Nina Pollak has since published a collaborative paper investigating the potential of using the tests to detect dengue in human serum, plasma and blood. This paper also supported the advantages of the new method.

“Our tests provided performance and speed without compromising specificity in human plasma and serum and could become promising tools for the detection of high dengue loads in resource-limited settings,” Pollak said.

The team’s next goal is to combine each test for the four dengue serotypes into a single test, to further streamline detection. Co-author Dr Madeeha Ahmed said the tests aim to lay the groundwork for future studies focused on actual use and effectiveness in the field.

“We hope the value of our technology will drive interest among users to conduct field trials in regions where the disease is prevalent,” she said.

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