Abstract
Viral infections are causing serious problems in human population worldwide. The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is a perfect example how viral infection could pose a great threat to global public health and economic sectors. Therefore, the first step in combating viral pathogens is to get a timely and accurate diagnosis. Early and accurate detection of the viral presence in patient sample is crucial for appropriate treatment, control, and prevention of epidemics. Here, we summarize some of the molecular and immunological diagnostic approaches available for the detection of viral infections of humans. Molecular diagnostic techniques provide rapid viral detection in patient sample. They are also relatively inexpensive and highly sensitive and specific diagnostic methods. Immunological-based techniques have been extensively utilized for the detection and epidemiological studies of human viral infections. They can detect antiviral antibodies or viral antigens in clinical samples. There are several commercially available molecular and immunological diagnostic kits that facilitate the use of these methods in the majority of clinical laboratories worldwide. In developing countries including Ethiopia where most of viral infections are endemic, exposure to improved or new methods is highly limited as these methods are very costly to use and also require technical skills. Since researchers and clinicians in all corners of the globe are working hard, it is hoped that in the near future, they will develop good quality tests that can be accessible in low-income countries.
Highlights
Viruses are small segments of nucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), or ribonucleic acid (RNA) within a protein coat or lipoprotein coat
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has been used for the detection of human viral infections with overall clinical sensitivity ranging from 77.8% to 100% and clinical specificity ranging from 89% to 100% [28, 53,54,55]. ese reports suggest that PCR can be employed for the detection of medical viruses in a variety of specimen types
Conventional reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR demonstrated overall sensitivity ranging from 73% to 100% and specificity ranging from 99% to 100% in the detection of viral infection [29, 57, 58]. ese data indicate that reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) is an excellent
Summary
Viruses are small segments of nucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), or ribonucleic acid (RNA) within a protein coat or lipoprotein coat (envelope). Viral infections are the most common cause of human diseases. As on 6th January 2015, H5N1 viruses have killed 402 out of 694 laboratory-confirmed human infections in 16 countries [13], with a mortality rate of around 58%. Erefore, good diagnostic techniques are required to detect these viral infections early and accurately. And accurate detection of viral diseases plays a significant role in selecting appropriate therapy timely, minimizing therapy costs, minimizing unnecessary loss of human lives, and controlling the disease. Molecular techniques have revolutionized diagnostic virology by detecting the presence or absence of viral nucleic acids in a patient’s sample [18]. Immuno-based techniques still play a great role for the detection and serosurveillance of human viral infections despite the fact that many of the traditional methods are replaced by nucleic acid-based techniques [20]. We describe some of the molecular and immunological diagnostic approaches for the detection of medical viruses
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