Chinese scientists announced Wednesday they have developed the technology for rapid detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) after successfully separating the new type of coronavirus, which is believed to be the cause of SARS.
According to experts with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Medical Institute, the current diagnosis of SARS mainly relies on clinical symptoms, which includes high fever, aches, a dry cough and shortness of breath.
The lack of an objective lab criterion has increased the difficulty of treating and preventing the disease and may cause a misdiagnosis by covering patients with similar symptoms, said the experts.
With the new technology, they can quickly identify the antibody in the blood serum of patients by using the pathogen of the new-type coronavirus. The results can be known in two hours with an accuracy up to 95 percent.
The experts revealed that the technology can provide a reliable scientific basis for the early diagnosis of SARS.
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2003)
