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- LAMP assay and frequent travellers: Zika virus
To the editor:
LAMP assay and frequent travelers: Zika virus
I have read the interesting article by Chotiwan and colleagues (1) [Rapid and specific detection of Asian- and African-lineage Zika viruses, Science Translational Medicine], the author establishes “a rapid and sensitive loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay that distinguishes Zika viruses of Asian and African lineages” (1).
In my view this inexpensive assay should be applied to all frequent travellers from, and to the countries located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn (natural reservoir of its vector), around the world. And to establish a global database of frequent travellers.
Sincerely yours,
Carlos Polanco, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México.Carlos Polanco is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematics in the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México. (polanco@unam.mx)
References
1. Chotiwan N, Brewster CD, Magalhaes T, Weger-Lucarelli J, Duggal NK, Ruckert C, Nguyen C, Garcia Luna SM, Fauver JR, Andre B, Gray M, Black WC 4th, Kading RC, Ebel GD, Kuan GK, Balmased A, Jaenisch T, Marques ETA, Brault AC, Harris EH, Foy BD, Quackenbush SL, Perera R, Rovnak J. Rapid and specific detection of Asian- and African-lineage Zika viruses. Sci Transl Med. (2017)9.pii:eaag0538. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aag0538.Competing Interests: None declared.
