A New Smartphone Technology to Detect Equine Respiratory Diseases

A new system linked to a smartphone can quickly and effectively detect the presence of viruses that cause equine respiratory infectious diseases using nasal swab samples. This technology could be applied to equivalent human diseases, such as COVID-19. Accurate, rapid, and specific detection of infectious pathogens can be crucial for epidemiological surveillance and, on a smaller scale, for the care of patients, both human and animal. The availability of rapid and accurate screening tests is essential for controlling an epidemic—particularly a respiratory one—and limiting its spread. Furthermore, many upper respiratory tract diseases cause similar clinical signs or co-infections (notably equine influenza and herpesvirus HVE-1 or HVE-4); a reliable diagnosis enables the implementation of effective therapeutic strategies. With this in mind, researchers have developed a new system that uses a smartphone camera to rapidly detect and identify equine and potentially human respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19. The system detects viral RNA present in nasal swabs, which is amplified by a silicon chip and labeled with a fluorescent dye. Multiple compartments on the chip test for different viruses. Smartphone cameras can then visualize this fluorescence. A green light indicates the presence of the virus. In just 30 minutes, the chip can detect the presence of a viral infection, test for multiple pathogenic agents simultaneously, and identify the culprit—all using a smartphone and a chip the size of a SIM card. Although this test was initially developed and approved to detect equine respiratory viruses (equine influenza, HVE-1 and -4, and subspecies of Streptococcus equi), its applications are not limited to these. Among other things, researchers see it as a major aid in detecting the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus to help curb the current pandemic. This new technology could play a role in the fight against numerous viruses across multiple species.