CDC said that it proactively developing a diagnostic test to detect the virus in clinical specimens, which is expected to reduce the time taken to detect the infection
CDC′s Arlen Specter Headquarters and Emergency Operations Center. (Credit: James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the US has detected the first patient infected by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the state of Washington.
The outbreak of novel coronavirus infection, which causes a type of lung disease, has been continuing in China’s Wuhan city since December 2019.
The patient who was detected with coronavirus infection in Washington has recently returned to the US from the Wuhan and was treated for illness at a medical facility in the state of Washington.
The healthcare professionals at the medical facility suspected the cause of illness to be coronavirus infection, based on the symptoms and travel history of the patient.
CDC said that it is proactively developing a diagnostic test to detect the virus in clinical specimens, which is expected to reduce the time taken to detect the infection.
The patient’s clinical specimen was sent to CDC, where the agency has conducted the laboratory testing and confirmed the diagnosis through its Real time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) test.
The novel coronavirus is a new strain of virus to be identified in humans
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to severe diseases including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
According to the agency, the virus is initially believed to be spreading from animal-to-person but is observed spreading between people by unknown mode of transfer.
After a detailed investigation, the SARS-CoV is found to be transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans.
Common symptoms associated with the infection include fever, cough, and breathing difficulties, and in more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
The diagnostic test for the virus is expected to be shared with domestic and international partners in the coming days.