New Test Could Reveal Every Virus That's Ever Infected You

sciencehabit writes: A new blood test can find almost every virus you ever caught—in a single drop of blood. Called VirScan, the test surveys the antibodies present in the bloodstream to reveal a history of the viruses you've been infected with throughout your life. Besides diagnosing current illnesses, the new test could be an important tool in developing vaccines and studying links between viruses and chronic disease.

Comments

Metadata only?

[mschaffer]

Next they will be saying that the test only looks at the Virus' metadata. They will only be logging the numbers of those who infected you, but not look at the actual antibodies.

Re:Great application

[Gilgaron]

Sure, if you were immune do to mutated cell receptors you'd be unlikely to have gotten enough virus to trigger an antibody response. Likewise this would probably only look back 10 years or so, as last I'd heard that was how long memory B cells are thought to live.

Tainted mission statements.

[geekmux]

The sad part about reading about yet another mission to capture Big Data is not how it can be used for us, but how it can be used against us.

I hate having to think that way, and yet I'm forced to now. Every time.

I also struggle who to blame more. A society that demands everything for free, or the corporations that gladly subsidize those demands by selling your online soul in exchange.

Re:Great tool for insurance companies, too

[rmdingler]

The flu isn't really a great example for "risky behavior." I would be surprised if I've been exposed to less than 50 strains of the flu virus and I go 3-5 years between being sick with the flu or similar on average. The flu is mostly just a symptom of a life-style that involves being around other people.

A mega-flora of flu antibodies might actually be good for an applicant for insurance, as it generally represents greater future immunity to evolving flu strains.

Positives for hepatitis, HIV, etc. would definitely encourage the insurance company to attempt to opt you out.

wink wink If your maths are correct, I would be interested in getting your Doc's name and a reference.

Please tell me. . .

[Idou]

that I can get this test so that next time I get sick they can check the difference and have an explicit idea of what I have. . .

Now, every time I go to the doctor, they are like "we will put you on these antibiotics and if you don't get better, you have a virus." It feels like the freaking middle ages. . .

Re:Great tool for insurance companies, too

[DarkOx]

If you show positive for HIV the insurance company already has a problem. I think it would work more like this. You show positive for having once had the clap or have HPV. Now you are marked as someone who has/had risky sex, ie outside a monogmous relationship where your partners health status is known or unprotected sex with anyone else. Your risk of contracting something expensive to treat like herpes or HIV went from very low to reasonably possible. Now the insurance company has a good reason to get you off their books.

That is probably the most likely example I can think of.