---
title: "This blood test can tell you every virus you’ve ever had"
description: "Researchers have developed a DNA-based blood test that can determine a person's viral history, a development they hope could lead to early detection of conditions."
date: "2015-06-05"
modified: "2015-08-13"
authors:
  - name: "Jason Hudson"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jasonh"
url: "https://futurism.com/this-blood-test-can-tell-you-every-virus-youve-ever-had"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
  - "Medical"
  - "Pathogens"
  - "Viruses"
tags:
  - "medical"
---

# This blood test can tell you every virus you’ve ever had

![Default Futurism featured image](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Futurism-Filler-Image.jpg>)

- The new test, known as VirScan, works by screening the blood for antibodies against any of the 206 species of viruses known to infect humans.
- The immune system, which churns out specific antibodies when it encounters a virus, can continue to produce those antibodies decades after an infection subsides. VirScan detects those antibodies and uses them as a window in time to create a blueprint of nearly every virus an individual has encountered.
- During initial tests, they found that the average person has been exposed to 10 of the 206 different species of known viruses -- though some people showed exposure to more than double that number.