Speedy DNA Test for 12 Viruses Approved by FDA

SoyChemist writes "Last week, the FDA approved a test that can check for twelve viruses at once. The device is made by Luminex which has a long history of building instruments that can check for almost anything — bacteria, viruses, antibodies, disease genes. In this case, doctors can simply swab their patient's nose or throat then send the sample to a lab where the viral genetic material is copied and stuck down to color-coated beads. Each type of bead recognizes a different virus. A scanner reads off which beads have DNA on them — thus identifying the pathogens. The new test can detect several types of influenza, but not H5N1, and is the first system approved to detect human metapneumovirus. It is a good step towards taking the guesswork out of medicine, which is desperately needed since viral infections are extraordinarily hard to diagnose, and antiviral medications like Tamiflu only work on some types of virus."

Less useful than it might appear

[Masaq]

As a pediatrician/internal medicine physician, this is interesting, but not necessarily as revolutionary as it might appear. Generally, we would like to have tests that are going to change our management. Though it might make us feel better to specifically know what virus a patient has, if it's not going to change our management, it's more debatable as to what the true value of this would be.

Currently of the viruses mentioned in the article, only influenza has a specific treatments - oseltamivir (tamiflu)/zanamivir, or amantadine/rimantadine (for influenza A only). We already have cheap, reliable, rapid influenza testing.

For any of the other viruses mentioned, standard of care will only be supportive therapy (IV fluids, oxygen, etc), and it won't change depending on the virus.

I'm sure this new test will not be cheap, so that if we start using this test widely, we may end up spending a lot of money without signficant clinical benefit to patients. As everyone knows, healthcare in the US is already horrifically expensive - tests such as these won't help..