Lab workers had to do each step by hand in order to conduct a monkeypox test. According to federal guidelines, testing should only be done if a person is suspected of having the disease. There are blisters on the face, hands, feet, around the genitals, or inside the mouth. Once the samples have been collected, they are sent to a lab to be tested for the presence of monkeypox virus's genes. It requires multiple steps of adding fluid, mixing reagents and isolating the DNA.
Testing is slow because of that. The process has been automated by commercial labs. The clinic used to only process 20 to 30 tests a day, but will soon be able to process hundreds of tests a day.
Some other issues are raised by this type of test. You have to take the current tests to get a sample. Makofane says that it might not be possible for people with internal tumors.
It can take several days for a rash to appear after a monkeypox test. There are some people who have very little or no disease. It is not known if the disease can spread before the blisters form, so it would be better to catch an infection earlier on, so that people can access treatment and vaccines as quickly as possible. The vaccine should be given within four days from the time of exposure according to the CDC.
Monkeypox tests must be ordered by a doctor. According to Morice, many doctors might not know to test for monkeypox because it is a new disease in the US, or they might not consider referring patients who are not at risk. Some men who have sex with men are not the only ones. In Indiana, 20 percent of the state's cases have been in women, and two infections in the US have been found in children.
Financial constraints, stigmatization, and lack of insurance can make it hard for people with symptoms to get tested.
A study published in Spain in June shows that there are other ways to test for monkeypox than the FDA suggests. Monkeypox viral DNA was found in saliva and semen samples from 12 patients.
Flow Health, a California company that offers Covid-19 testing, is pursuing the idea. A monkeypox test that requires a person to spit into a tube is being worked on. Lab workers extract and amplify the viral DNA from the sample.
Alex Meshkin says that a saliva-based test could have benefits; for example, it could enable screening of pre-symptomatic cases. It could be done at a pharmacy, mass testing site, or even at home. There is a low demand for this procedure because it can only be done in a clinic.
The FDA warned in a safety communication on July 15 that false results could be caused by testing samples that are not taken from a specific area. The agency doesn't know if clinical data supports the use of blood or saliva.
It's important to determine whether testing oral fluids, for example, is just as accurate, so that testing can reach as many people as possible.
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