Nanotechnology: Current trends in detections of microbial pathogens

Abstract

The circulation of pathogens in developing countries is one of the major causes of infectious disease outbreaks. Currently, there are limitations to already existing methods for microbial pathogen detection. A significant number of pathogens are left undetected via of conventional methods. The detection methods that are innovative, rapid with high sensitivity and specificity are required to target pathogens. This will aid to overcome present drawbacks in disease management. Nanotechnology is a recent advancements leading to the development of nanoparticle-based assay for detection of specific pathogens. Gold nanoparticles are known to have unique and high surface area. This makes them an ideal candidate for pathogen specific detection. The gold nanoparticles have unique physicochemical properties which are more advantageous over existing conventional detection methods. This review focused on the application of nanotechnology in microbial pathogen detection. With an insight on the exploration of nanotechnology to overcome the limitation of existing detection methods.