--- title: Blood Test Every Virus in Drop of Blood description: New finding could help scientists trace how viruses spread canonical: https://time.com/3911629/blood-test-virus/ author: Josh Sanburn article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-06T15:01:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:01.048Z article:section: Health og:title: This Blood Test Can Detect Every Virus You've Ever Had og:description: New finding could help scientists trace how viruses spread og:url: https://time.com/3911629/blood-test-virus/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Blood Test Can Detect Every Virus You've Ever Had twitter:description: New finding could help scientists trace how viruses spread twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production video:duration: 01:51 video:published: 2012-10-01 section: health topics: cancer screening, mammograms, prostate cancer, PSA test, false positives, radiation exposure, preventive services, risk assessment, patient-doctor discussion genre: explainer tones: informative, measured, cautious, clear emotions: concern (low), reassurance (low), curiosity (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: general readers, patients, women, men, health-conscious adults people: Alice Park organizations: TIME, US Preventive Services Task Force content_suitability: health controversy [00:00-01:51]; health controversy [00:56-01:28] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable --- # This Blood Test Can Detect Every Virus You've Ever Had > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=854ff36f-548e-407a-9acf-5d02059a1ffd&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Explains: Cancer Screenings [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Explains: Cancer Screenings](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pAMu9cRG.m3u8) (1:51)  _Published 2012-10-01. TIME's Alice Park explains how new cancer screening recommendations effect you_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary TIME's Alice Park explains that a government task force now recommends later or no routine cancer screenings for some groups, while the basic idea that screening can prevent cancer remains. The video describes how screening risks such as radiation exposure, false positives and unnecessary surgery are weighed against benefits. It notes that the change in recommendations shifts responsibility to patients to discuss their individual cancer risks with their doctors. ## Key points - A government group, the US Preventive Services Task Force, has recommended that women do not need mammograms until age 50. (00:17) - The task force now says men do not need the PSA blood test for prostate cancer screening at all. (00:38) - The idea that getting screened can prevent cancer has not changed; what has changed is how well risks and benefits of screening are calculated. (00:46) - Mammograms are x-rays and expose women to a small dose of radiation each time they are screened. (00:56) - Screening tests are not perfect and can produce false positives, meaning cancers that are not really there. (01:05) - False positives can lead to additional procedures, tests and even surgery, which carries its own complications. (01:15) - Prostate cancer is such a slow-growing cancer that most men are likely to outlive it. (01:21) - When the panel analyzed costs and benefits, it concluded the benefits did not outweigh the cost of having everyone screened. (01:28) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:17] Why screening recommendations are changing. Experts say not everyone should be screened for cancer, but screening remains important for some people. - [00:17 to 00:46] New task force screening guidance. The task force recommends delaying mammograms for women and dropping routine PSA testing for men, while screening still prevents cancer. - [00:46 to 01:28] Weighing screening risks and benefits. Radiation exposure, false positives and unnecessary treatment are weighed against screening benefits, using breast and prostate cancer as examples. - [01:28 to 01:51] Patients should discuss individual risk. Screening is not obsolete, and patients are now responsible for raising their individual cancer risk with their doctors. ## Key quotes - [00:00] interviewer: "not everyone should get screened for cancer, but that doesn't mean that you don't need to be screened." - [00:46] Alice Park: "What hasn't changed is the idea that getting screened can prevent cancer." - [00:56] Alice Park: "mammograms are actually x- rays, and so therefore expose women to a small dose of radiation each time they get screened." - [01:37] Alice Park: "This doesn't mean that cancer screening is completely obsolete, however." ## Questions this video answers - Why do public health experts say not everyone should get screened for cancer? [00:00] - At what age does the US Preventive Services Task Force say women need mammograms? [00:17] - Does the task force still recommend the PSA blood test for men? [00:38] - What risks are associated with cancer screening tests? [00:56] - Why might most men not need prostate cancer screening? [01:21] - What responsibility do patients now have regarding cancer screening? [01:37] ## Content suitability - health controversy [00:00-01:51]: Discusses changes to official cancer screening recommendations that some may consider controversial. - health controversy [00:56-01:28]: Mentions surgery and complications from false-positive cancer findings. by [Josh Sanburn](https://time.com/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Jun 6, 2015 3:01 PM UTC by [Josh Sanburn](https://time.com/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Jun 6, 2015 3:01 PM UTC One blood test analyzing less than a single drop of blood can now reveal every virus people have over their lifetime, according to a new study. A new experimental test called VirScan can detect the 206 virus species known to infect humans and more than 1,000 known virus strains just by testing a small amount of blood, according to the journal [_Science_](http://www.sciencemag.org/content/348/6239/aaa0698)_._ Scientists tested VirScan on almost 600 people on four continents and detected an average of 10 strains per person, many of which were common like the cold or flu. But at least two people tested positive for 84 strains. The new blood test could help doctors trace how viruses spread, and scientists say they believe the test could be expanded as new ones are discovered. ## Transcript [00:00] In recent months, public health experts have said that [00:03] not everyone should get screened for cancer, but that [00:06] doesn't mean that you don't need to be screened. [00:08] Here is what you need to know. [ MUSIC ] It [00:17] used to be relatively straight forward that getting [00:19] screened for cancer was a good way to prevent the [00:21] disease. But a government group called the US [00:24] Preventive Services Task Force has recently said that [00:27] women, for example, Don't need to get mammograms [00:30] until they're age 50, which is a full decade after [00:34] previous recommendations had suggested that women [00:36] get screened. And for men they now say that they [00:38] don't need to get the blood test PSA which screens for [00:42] prostate cancer at all. What hasn't changed is the idea [00:46] that getting screened can prevent cancer. What has [00:49] changed is the fact that we're better at calculating the [00:53] risks and benefits of that screening. Lets take breast [00:56] cancer for example, mammograms are actually [01:00] x- rays, and so therefore expose women to a small [01:02] dose of radiation each time they get screened. In [01:05] addition, not every screening test is 100 % perfect, so [01:09] they'll pick up. Some false positives, which means [01:12] cancers that aren't really there. And that can lead to [01:15] additional procedures, tests, and even surgery, which [01:19] comes with its own complications. This is particularly [01:21] true in prostate cancer which is such a slow growing [01:24] cancer that most men are likely to outlive it. When the [01:28] panel analyzed these costs and benefits They realized [01:31] that the benefits did not outweigh the cost of having [01:34] everyone screened. This doesn't mean that cancer [01:37] screening is completely obsolete, however. The burden [01:40] has really shifted to the patents to bring this up with [01:43] their doctors and to talk about their individual risks for [01:47] cancer. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3911629/blood-test-virus/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3911629/blood-test-virus/"},"headline":"This Blood Test Can Detect Every Virus You've Ever Had","datePublished":"2015-06-06T15:01:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:01.048Z","description":"New finding could help scientists trace how viruses spread","url":"https://time.com/3911629/blood-test-virus/","keywords":["viruses","cold","Science topic","flu","health","Virus"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Josh Sanburn","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/josh-sanburn/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/viruses/","name":"viruses"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3911629/blood-test-virus/","name":"This Blood Test Can Detect Every Virus You've Ever Had"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Explains: Cancer Screenings","description":"TIME's Alice Park explains how new cancer screening recommendations effect you","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/pAMu9cRG/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2012-10-01T11:28:53.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pAMu9cRG.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3911629/blood-test-virus/","duration":"PT1M51S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3911629/blood-test-virus/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```