Portable Device That Speeds Up Bird Flu Detection on the Anvil

Researchers from Nottingham Trent University in Britain are developing a device that can detect an outbreak of bird flu in two hours.

Presently, it takes two to three days to identify the strain responsible for suspected cases of bird flu, or up to a week in countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam, which are most affected by the virus.

Avian Influenza / Bird Flu-Causes-Symptoms-Treatment- FAQs
Bird flu (avian influenza/avian flu) is a disease caused by an influenza virus (H5N1) that primarily affects birds but can infect humans also.

The new device could reduce this to a matter of hours, making it possible to set up exclusion zones or cull-infected birds before the virus has a chance to spread.

The researchers are developing two machines - a briefcase-sized version for use out in the field, and one about the size of a desktop computer for international border points, hospitals and GPs' surgeries.

The technology works by scanning swabs containing saliva or a tissue sample from birds or animals, and screening them for viral traces of influenza.

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US scientists Wednesday raised fears that a different strain of the bird flu virus could mutate to become more easily transmissible among humans and trigger a pandemic.

Alan McNally, who is working on the project, said that the latest technology would allow fast, on-the-spot screening.

"The key thing is that the process will be fully automated so there is no requirement for a skilled person," Times Online quoted him, as saying.