Throughout the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has been brought on by the spread of the highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), scientists have developed various revolutionary diagnostic tools, lots of which have been prolonged beyond the boundaries of the standard clinical microbiological laboratory.
A recent editorial published within the journal Clinical Biochemistry reports the newest innovations in the sector of infectious disease diagnostics.
Study: Innovations in Infectious Disease Diagnostics. Image Credit: PaeGAG / Shutterstock.com
Novel infectious disease diagnostics
Over the past several years, there have been significant improvements in diagnostic testing capabilities for infectious diseases, akin to those as a result of influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Clostridium difficile, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and Group A streptococcus, in addition to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and Lyme disease.
Several years ago, Hepatitis B surface antibody testing was introduced based on automated chemical analyzers. This approach, which has been applied to other infectious diseases, has been expanded to detect antigens and nucleic acids, along with antibodies.
The utilization of different and non-invasive sample types has also been reported, such that the diagnostic samples are usually not restricted to blood specimens of infected individuals. Recently, saliva and dried blood spots have been used for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, by which saliva may be used for disease diagnosis, while dried blood spots may be used for surveillance purposes.
Several revolutionary disease diagnostic tools are based on artificial intelligence and machine learning applications. Advancements in existing technologies and the invention of recent technologies have led to point-of-care, over-the-counter testing, and direct-to-consumer testing applications.
Previous research has revealed the importance of understanding test limitations. More specifically, less-than-optimal analytic sensitivity, if properly implemented, might be perfectly “fit for purpose” in regional networks of hospitals and clinics.
Researchers have also validated a novel analytical method to investigate three proteins concurrently. This method can accurately distinguish between bacterial and viral infections in in poor health patients.
Over-the-counter and direct-to-consumer varieties of novel diagnostic kits have been developed to detect Group A Streptococcus pharyngitis. A recent United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Lyme testing algorithm has also considerably improved practical considerations for its implementation.
Challenges
Significant differences in SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays have been reported. Thus, the optimal performance of those assays have to be considered when utilized in the long run.
Certain limitations related to nucleic acid amplification testing have also been described, despite the undeniable fact that this assay is taken into account to be the gold standard for SARS-CoV-2 detection by way of its specificity and sensitivity.
The research by Balogun and Slev (2022) provided essential insights into issues related to currently available HIV testing. More specifically, these scientists described current challenges related to pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis used for managing HIV infection.