Oct 01, 2015 01:46 PM EDT By Rashmi Kalia, UniversityHerald Reporter

Scientists have developed a new test, called ViroCap, which can detect any known virus in humans and animals, UPI reports.

The accuracy of the test is still to be verified in extensive clinical trials. It will take years before it is used with patients.

Dr. Gregory Storch, a professor of pediatrics at Washington University in St. Louis, said in a press release,

"With this test, you don't have to know what you're looking for. It casts a broad net and can efficiently detect viruses that are present at very low levels. We think the test will be especially useful in situations where a diagnosis remains elusive after standard testing or in situations in which the cause of a disease outbreak is unknown."

Researchers compared the results of standard PCR tests against the ViroCap. In one group, the PCR caught viruses in 10 of 14 patients, while the ViroCap detected viruses in the other 4 patients. In another group of children with fevers, the standard test detected 11 viruses in 8 children, while the ViroCap detected 7 additional viruses.

The researchers said ViroCap had a 52 percent improvement over PCR tests for viruses.

"The test is so sensitive that it also detects variant strains of viruses that are closely related genetically," said Todd Wylie, a pediatrics professor at Washington University. "Slight genetic variations among viruses often can't be distinguished by currently available tests and complicate physicians' ability to detect all variants with one test."

Researchers developed the ViroCap test by targeting unique portions of DNA and RNA from every virus group that has been recorded in humans and animals.

The study was published in the latest edition of the journal Genome Research. 

The researchers plan to fine-tune the test to verify that its preliminary performance was accurate, and will begin large-scale clinical trials soon.

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