Virus Detection: A Review of the Current and Emerging Molecular and Immunological Methods

Viruses are ubiquitous in the environment. While many impart no deleterious effects on their hosts, several are major pathogens. This risk of pathogenicity, alongside the fact that many viruses can rapidly mutate highlights the need for suitable, rapid diagnostic measures. This review provides a cri...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in molecular biosciences Vol. 8; p. 637559
Main Authors: Cassedy, A., Parle-McDermott, A., O’Kennedy, R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 20.04.2021
Subjects:
immunoassay
isothermal amplification
Molecular Biosciences
next generation sequencing
nucleic-acid detection
sampling
virus
virus
next generation sequencing
isothermal amplification
nucleic-acid detection
sampling
immunoassay
ISSN:2296-889X, 2296-889X
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Viruses are ubiquitous in the environment. While many impart no deleterious effects on their hosts, several are major pathogens. This risk of pathogenicity, alongside the fact that many viruses can rapidly mutate highlights the need for suitable, rapid diagnostic measures. This review provides a critical analysis of widely used methods and examines their advantages and limitations. Currently, nucleic-acid detection and immunoassay methods are among the most popular means for quickly identifying viral infection directly from source. Nucleic acid-based detection generally offers high sensitivity, but can be time-consuming, costly, and require trained staff. The use of isothermal-based amplification systems for detection could aid in the reduction of results turnaround and equipment-associated costs, making them appealing for point-of-use applications, or when high volume/fast turnaround testing is required. Alternatively, immunoassays offer robustness and reduced costs. Furthermore, some immunoassay formats, such as those using lateral-flow technology, can generate results very rapidly. However, immunoassays typically cannot achieve comparable sensitivity to nucleic acid-based detection methods. Alongside these methods, the application of next-generation sequencing can provide highly specific results. In addition, the ability to sequence large numbers of viral genomes would provide researchers with enhanced information and assist in tracing infections.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
ObjectType-Review-3
content type line 23
Edited by: Amit Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, India
Deborah Josko, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, United States
Reviewed by: Vandana Saxena, National AIDS Research Institute (ICMR), India
This article was submitted to Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics, a section of the journal Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences
ISSN:2296-889X
2296-889X
DOI:10.3389/fmolb.2021.637559