SYDNEY: Australian researchers have been able to detect positive Covid-19 cases using blood samples in about 20 minutes and identify whether someone has contracted the virus.
The research team developed a simple agglutination assay – an analysis to determine the presence and amount of a substance in the blood – to detect the presence of antibodies raised in response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. IANS reported.
The researchers at Monash University in Australia were able to identify recent Covid-19 cases using 25 microlitres of plasma from blood samples, the study, published in the journal ACS Sensors, reported.
“This simple, rapid, and easily scalable approach has immediate application in SARS-CoV-2 serological testing, and is a useful platform for assay development beyond the Covid-19 pandemic,” said study researcher Banaszak Holl.
The researchers said that positive cases of Covid-19 cause an agglutination or a clustering of red blood cells, which is easily identifiable to the naked eye.
(With inputs from agencies)
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