New test can detect potential disease-carrying mosquitoes

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Mosquitoes can carry some dangerous diseases such as West Nile, Zika, and Chikungunya. Now, researchers have developed a simple new test to detect potential disease-carrying mosquitoes.

The new tool uses a smartphone, a 3D printed box and a chemical test.

It was developed at the University of Texas at Austin to identify the Aedes Egypti mosquito. That's the kind likely to carry the zika virus, dengue, yellow fever, and other diseases.

Those diseases sicken 100 million people worldwide each year and are a big reason mosquito-borne illnesses in the US have tripled since 2004.

The new test won't require the extensive and expensive lab work needed now.

The Texas team is already working on technology to determine whether trapped mosquitoes are actually infected.

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