So it's no surprise that Swiss company Roche has put its version of a rapid test forward. The LightMix Ebola Zaire rRT-PCR Test works in about three hours, and is designed for Roche's testing consoles.

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Those letters in the test name stand for "real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction." That means the test works by detecting the signs of the Ebola virus on a genetic level.

The test starts by looking for a specific chunk of mRNA, or messenger RNA, which are molecules that carry genetic information from DNA over to the parts of a cell that produce proteins. The test then translates that mRNA strand into the corresponding DNA strand, and uses a process called a polymerase chain reaction to copy the DNA strand millions of times over. Once there's enough DNA to test, the clinician can see whether the original mRNA strand was the right one, and be sure that it's really present in the blood sample.

Several other rRT-PCR tests have also received this kind of emergency approval. The tests are relatively quick at three hours, and since they detect the DNA of the virus they're very accurate.

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Why approve multiple tests? The consoles that run these kinds of diagnostics are expensive, so a brand-specific test might not be universally usable by hospitals around the U.S.

The emergency-use designation allows certain laboratories in the country to use the test in response to the current outbreak. The drug has been tested, but not rigorously enough to achieve the FDA's full stamp of approval. Roche will still have to go through those hoops in order for the test to be standard issue at labs and hospitals.

Unfortunately, adding more in-lab tests probably won't do much to improve Ebola diagnoses. Right now the biggest concern is that many patients are far from labs equipped with these expensive testing apparatuses.