re: Ebola blood test question...(sorry for another Ebola thread)

quote:

---

Hopeful Doc will be along shortly with his essay.

---

quote:

---

1. How quickly would ebola show up in a blood test? (ie if people thought they had been infected, yesterday, say on a plane, how long would it take for that to show up in a blood test?)

---

Test can be negative for the first 3-5 days of the patient showing symptoms.

ETA: The patient is actually infected 2-21 days before showing symptoms though. It's possibly negative for up to the first 5 days of the patient showing symptoms, so, to answer your question more accurately, 2-26 days after infection.

quote:

---

2. How long does it take to get blood test results back for ebola?

---

PCR tests usually take several hours at the fastest, a few days at slowest. Probably 12-36 hours, if I'm guessing.

quote:

---

Just seems like given the over-reaction panic this is causing, it'd be a good idea to test everyone they can as soon as possible and rule them out.

---

This is a very expensive test, and it will be negative in every single person that does not show symptoms. This would be a colossal waste of money. It's what's referred to as a "confirmatory" test. What we want/need/would be what you're describing would be a good "screening" test. There is currently no good screening test for Ebola. There are several in the works, and at least one by the US Navy that will be faster but likely less sensitive.