Scientists have developed what they say is the first 'dipstick' test which can instantly determine blood type of a patient or donor.
The inexpensive and portable test involves placing a drop of blood on a specially treated paper strip which then changes colours to determine the type of the blood.
Australian scientists, who reported their research in the American Chemical Society's journal Analytical Chemistry, said the new blood testing method could be a boon to health care in developing countries.
"The test also could be useful in veterinary medicine, for typing animals' blood in the field," they noted.
The paper test strips, developed by Gil Garnier and colleagues at the Monash University in Australia, are impregnated with antibodies to the antigens on red blood cells that determine blood type.
Using blood samples from volunteers in laboratory tests, the scientists showed that a drop of blood placed on the strip caused a colour change that indicated blood type. The results were as accurate as conventional blood typing, they claimed.
The scientists explained that determining a patient's blood type is critical for successful blood transfusions, which save millions of lives each year worldwide. There are four main blood types: A, B, AB, and O.
Use of the wrong blood type in a patient can be fatal. "Current methods for determining blood type require the use of sophisticated instruments that are not available in many poor parts of the world.
An inexpensive portable test could solve that problem," the report said. "The paper diagnostics manufacturing cost is a few pennies per test and can promote health in developing countries," it added.
Src: [deccanchronicle]
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