Zika virus (ZIKV), a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus, has been declared as the cause of a 'worldwide public health emergency' by the WHO since the year 2016. In cases of acute infections, it has been found to cause Guillain-Barre syndrome and microcephaly. Considering the tropical occurrence of the infections, and the absence of any proper treatments, accurate and timely diagnosis is the only way to control this infectious disease. Currently, there are many diagnostic methods under investigation by the scientific community, but they have some major limitations, such as high cost, low specificity, and poor sensitivity. To overcome these limitations, we have presented a low-cost, simple-to-operate, and portable diagnosis system for its detection by utilizing silver nanoparticles. silver nanoparticles were synthesized via chemical methods and characterization was confirmed by UV/TEM and XRD. The paper platform was synthesized using a graphene-based conductive ink, methylene blue as the redox indicator, and a portable potentiostat to perform the cyclic voltammetry to ensure true point-of-care availability for patients in remote areas.
Keywords: Zika virus; cross-reactivity; genosensor; paper electrodes; synthetic serum.