Mexico City, Mexico - Ebola can be quickly detected using microfluidics - the study of very tiny volumes of liquids - according to Juan Pablo Agusil Antonoff, a specialist in biomedical engineering at the Ibero-American University in Mexico.

Agusil Antonoff, who is also pursuing a doctorate in nanotechnology in Spain, spoke on microfluidics at a conference in the university recently.

"Microfluidics is a system which allows the swift detection of a parasite, bacteria, or virus inside an organism from samples of body fluids, such as blood, saliva, or urine, by studying the production of antibodies," Agusil Antonoff explained.

"Microfluidics is so sensitive that even minimum amounts of antibodies inside a person can be discovered," he added.

Antonoff stressed that this very sensitivity enables it to detect any disease at the earliest, allowing for the immediate treatment and isolation of the infected person.

Another benefit, according to the specialist, is that it does away with the need for visits to hospitals and clinics as tests can now be done at home as in the case of pregnancy tests and glucometer readings.