90-Second Read: Inside the Race to Develop a Test for the Rare Andes Hantavirus

As passengers return to the US from the cruise that saw a rare Hantavirus outbreak, much of the country is lacking a basic public health tool: a test to diagnose the illness in the earliest stages of infection. In just a few days, a lab at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha developed its own diagnostic test for the Andes virus in anticipation of receiving 16 American passengers from the ship. They called a lab in California, a state that has previously seen Hantavirus cases, but their test was for a specific strain found in the US. He learned that the CDC has the ability to run a serological test, which looks for the presence of Hantavirus antibodies.

Frannie Twohig, a graduate student in Bradfute's lab, had developed an Andes virus PCR test for research purposes as part of her PhD work. He says the goal is to identify cases as early as possible and start treatment to prevent people from developing serious disease. Kelly Wroblewski, senior director of infectious diseases at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says state-level capacity for Hantavirus antibody testing is limited. Now, it's ready to start testing those returning to the US after a cruise outbreak.

A University of Nebraska lab has developed a test that can detect the virus before symptoms become severe. But people don't develop antibodies until they are actively sick and their body has had time to mount an immune response. Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, told WIRED that the CDC has a PCR test for the Andes virus but that it's a research test that cannot be used for patient management. The agency developed test kits to distribute to public health labs across the country but the rollout was hampered by faulty kits, which hindered early efforts to track the spread of the virus.

The Andes virus has a fatality rate of around 35 percent. While there are no specific Hantavirus drugs immediately available, early supportive care such as fluid management and breathing support can significantly improve survival rates. Bradfute's lab also has genetic material of the Andes virus that's not capable of causing disease which the Nebraska lab would need to validate its test.