FRESNO, CA-- Fresno researchers say they've developed a faster way to detect Valley Fever. The new test detects the genetic presence of the soil fungus that causes the disease. The old test requires a blood or culture sample to be taken then sent to a lab for evaluation. While accurate, the old test takes up to two weeks to provide results. The new test, using DNA, can provide results in five hours.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 20,000 cases of Valley Fever are diagnosed each year with the vast majority of them in Kern County. Early detection of the disease can be pivotal in treatment because it's so often misdiagnosed as the flu. Now researchers at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno have successfully programmed a machine to perform a faster test for Valley Fever.
“We are very very excited,” said co-developer of the test, Dr. Dominic Dizon. “It is the first machine to do this test as far as I know actually, in the world."
This new test is not intended for commercial use but rather something county health departments may want to build upon.
"We're here so that other departments within the state, specifically Kern for instance, or Merced, if this gets published, they can see exactly how we do it, and they themselves can get the machine and do it on their own,” Dizon said.
Kern County's chief health officer, Dr. Claudia Jonah said patients should always ask their doctor for a Valley Fever test especially if they are experiencing persistent respiratory problems.
"The biggest thing we have to overcome is making sure it is always a common part of the diagnoses or the rule out when you are evaluating a respiratory illness," Jonah said.
According to Kern County health officials the new test is only available at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, for now.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 20,000 cases of Valley Fever are diagnosed each year with the vast majority of them in Kern County. Early detection of the disease can be pivotal in treatment because it's so often misdiagnosed as the flu. Now researchers at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno have successfully programmed a machine to perform a faster test for Valley Fever.
“We are very very excited,” said co-developer of the test, Dr. Dominic Dizon. “It is the first machine to do this test as far as I know actually, in the world."
This new test is not intended for commercial use but rather something county health departments may want to build upon.
"We're here so that other departments within the state, specifically Kern for instance, or Merced, if this gets published, they can see exactly how we do it, and they themselves can get the machine and do it on their own,” Dizon said.
Kern County's chief health officer, Dr. Claudia Jonah said patients should always ask their doctor for a Valley Fever test especially if they are experiencing persistent respiratory problems.
"The biggest thing we have to overcome is making sure it is always a common part of the diagnoses or the rule out when you are evaluating a respiratory illness," Jonah said.
According to Kern County health officials the new test is only available at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, for now.