MORDOVIAN SCIENTISTS DEVELOPED A NEW METHOD FOR DIAGNOSING COVID-19 AT VARIOUS STAGES
Scientists of The National Research Mordovian State University named after N.P. Ogarev developed a new method for diagnosing COVID-19. It is reported by mrsu.ru. It does not require reagents, so it is much cheaper than existing analogues. In order to recognize a coronavirus infection at different stages and forms using the method of Mordovia researchers, it will take two minutes, compared to modern ones – this is more than 1000 times faster.
The method is based on the effect of COVID-19 on red blood cells-erythrocytes. Scientists from Mordovia were able to recognize the features of the virus' influence on these potentially important blood elements, in particular, on the pathological change in the cell shape and the molecular process of oxygen binding in hemoglobin.
Capillary blood can be used for diagnosis. In it, using a laser interference microscope and a Raman spectrometer, the necessary parameters are identified. So, in the erythrocytes of people who have had a coronavirus infection, there is a decrease in the oxygen-transporting ability of hemoglobin. The surface of the red cell membrane also changes, membrane bulges appear, which are characteristic of absolutely all studied erythrocytes obtained from people with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. These indicators can become an important diagnostic parameter confirming the transferred disease or indicate the onset and development of the disease.
This method demonstrates the consequences of the presence of the virus in the blood at different stages of the disease. In the treatment stage, the number of red blood cells with outgrowths decreases, but it does not disappear. In this case, coronavirus infection can be determined even after a long course of the disease. This is essential because this fact can influence the result of molecular recognition and serological testing.