Automated Virus Detection and ­Identification

Item Solution Virology provides a new technological approach in automated detection and identification of the gastroenteritis viruses in highly textured electron microscopy micrographs. Using digital TEM image acquisition and analysis, an automated virus detection workflow can be setup. Such a workflow automates the process of ocular inspection of TEM images, increasing speed and reliability in the diagnostic procedure. Viruses cause epidemic outbreaks such as the winter vomiting disease in many countries every year. Detecting and identifying of the known gastroenteritis viruses and other unknown viruses have all become of critical global interest. Identification of viruses with PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) can be troublesome due to frequent virus mutation rates, spurred by the hundreds of millions of new infections occurring every year.