研究人员开发出更好、更便宜、更快寨卡病毒测试

Researchers Develop Better, Cheaper, Faster Zika Test 研究人员开发出更好、更便宜、更快寨卡病毒测试

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

A team of researchers say they have developed a new test for Zika virus.

They say the test can provide results quickly and costs less than other testing methods. It can also be easily transported, giving health care workers a way to diagnose the virus almost anywhere in the world.

The Zika outbreak started about a year ago when health officials in Brazil began reporting cases of people being infected. Now, nearly 60 countries and territories have reported Zika cases.

Most of those infected are thought to have been bitten by mosquitoes. The insects can carry the Zika virus. Some countries also have reported cases that appear to have spread through sexual contact.

The World Health Organization says the world could face a severe public health crisis if the virus continues spreading.

The WHO says scientists agree that Zika is the cause of two serious conditions: the nervous system disorder¹ Guillain-Barre syndrome² and the birth defect microcephaly. Babies with the birth defect have an unusually small head. Children with severe microcephaly usually do not live long.

How is the new test better?

The new test is the result of work by researchers at Harvard University in the United States. The researchers built upon earlier work on a method to test for Ebola virus.

James Collins is a synthetic³ biologist. He led the team that created a way to test body fluids for Zika virus. The test is designed for blood, urine and saliva⁴.

But why develop a new method in the first place?

The researchers explained their reasoning in a report in the journal Cell. In it they said that other test methods are limited. Most importantly, they say, these methods are not exact.

The other tests look for antibodies in body fluids. But these antibodies are similar to other viruses such as Dengue. The researchers add that the other methods can also be costly⁵. And they require special equipment that is not available in some areas.

The new testing method uses paper cards about the size of a human hand. The cards contain freeze-dried biomolecular components⁷.

The freeze-dried part is important. The report says the components “remain stable at room temperature, allowing for easy storage and distribution in global settings.” In other words, they do not break down under normal conditions and can be stored almost anywhere.

Only small amounts of the Zika virus can be found in blood. So, the researchers first make the blood sample appear larger through a process that causes the virus to reproduce. The larger sample is then put on the paper card. If Zika is present, the card changes color.

Test results from an infected person can then be compared to another card to identify which form of the Zika virus is present.

The new test can produce a result in as little as 30 minutes. An even faster result is possible, the researchers say, by placing the card in a special reader. The change in color can be easily recognized without special equipment.

The researchers add that this method costs less than other tests for Zika.

James Collins says that his team is currently looking for private and public money to make this test available to health workers around the world.

There is no vaccine⁸ for Zika. The World Health Organization says developers in the U.S. and four other countries are working on 23 different projects to develop one. WHO officials expect some of those projects to be ready for testing by the end of the year. However, a fully-tested vaccine may not be available for several years.

Until a vaccine is developed, efforts to stop the spread of Zika are directed at controlling the insects that carry it. The WHO says half of the world's population lives in areas where Zika-carrying mosquitoes live.

Words in This Story

cheap – adj. at minimum cost

diagnose – v. to recognize (a disease, illness, etc.) by examining someone

synthetic biologist – n. scientist who engages in the study of synthetic biology, which is the engineering of biology

freeze-dried – adj. being in a state produced by or as if by freeze-drying

freeze-dry – v. to preserve (something, such as food) by a process that both dries and freezes it

biomolecular – n. an organic molecule⁹ and especially a macromolecule (as a protein or nucleic acid) in living organisms

component⁶ – n. one of the parts of something (such as a system or mixture) : an important piece of something

stable – adj. not readily altering in chemical makeup¹⁰ or physical state

distribution – n. the act of delivering something to a store or business

global – adj. involving the entire world

setting – n. the place and conditions in which something happens or exists

1 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

2 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

3 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

4 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

7 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

8 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

9 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

10 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？