The engineers from Columbia University have developed a new smartphone accessory that can detect markers of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV and Syphilis within minutes with just a finger prick.

The smartphone dongle can detect whether an individual has syphilis or HIV in just 15 minutes.

Scientists after testing the smartphone device stated that it would be of help in determining Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).

The smartphone accessory copies the diagnostic procedure employed in the laboratory for the HIV antibody as well as two markers for syphilis. The dongle runs tests for the non-treponemal antibody and treponemal-specific antibody, in order to diagnose syphilis infection.

The dongle takes all the power from the smartphone and carries out a traditional STD test known as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

The research team hired 96 expecting mothers in Rwanda. For conducting the experiment, the researchers worked in conjunction with the Rwanda Biomedical Center, local Ministry of Health, as well as the Institute of HIV Disease and Prevention and Control.

According to Samuel K. Sia, a biomedical engineering professor at Columbia and study's chief author, tests of the dongle are for HIV and syphilis in particular, as these infections pass on from the mother to the baby during pregnancy.

The details related to the working of this smartphone accessory have been reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday.