New Test Speeds Hantavirus Diagnosis

Hantavirus victims can be on their deathbed within hours. But a new test developed by University of New Mexico researchers enables doctors to diagnose the virus faster.

Hantavirus kills half its victims. With deceiving flu-like symptoms, the virus can quickly progress to deadly stages, flooding the victim’s lungs.

The new test, which takes five hours to get results, is three hours faster than the previous test. Brian Hjelle, one of the researchers who developed the test, said the original hantavirus test took as long as a week. Often, that was too late for those infected.

“It’s a big difference because you can receive a sample in the afternoon and get a result by 7 or 8 at night,” said Hjelle.

Hjelle said the initial symptoms of the virus, including fever, muscle aches and chills, are so common that they can easily go unrecognized. The new test, Four Corners Hantavirus SIA Prototype, resulted from two years of research by Hjelle and Dr. Steve Jenison.

But it is not yet commercially available and won’t be ready for this year’s hantavirus season, which generally runs from May through August.

Doctors use one drop of a patient’s blood for the test. If the blood contains antibodies for hantavirus--meaning the person has been exposed--blotches will show up on specially prepared test paper.