Viral infections cause a significant public health burden due to their high transmission rate, several pathological manifestations, and subclinical onset. With a short enough turnaround time, laboratory diagnostic tests for infectious diseases are emerging as a promising armamentarium to improve patient care, antiviral therapeutic decisions, and infection prevention. Many microbiological molecular and serological diagnostic testing devices are available and authorized as benchtop systems, but few are miniaturized, fully automated, portable digital platforms. Their successful implementation in virology depends on their performance and impact on patient management. 

Advancements in respiratory virus diagnostics, from novel specimen collection tools to highly sensitive and multiplexed nucleic acid amplification tests, have revealed the potential of the vast list of antigen and molecular-based tests for detailed laboratory testing of respiratory viruses without demanding virus isolation. Yet, cell culture is the reference method with outstanding sensitivity and specificity. 

Contrasting cell-culture-based viral load quantification, immunofluorescent staining renders results within several hours; however, the sensitivity and availability of antisera may act as limiting factors. Furthermore, PCR assays with superior sensitivity to culture or immunofluorescent staining have become an essential viral diagnostic tool. Also, the prime challenge in nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) technology is to achieve inexpensive, high-throughput, and automatic nucleic acid (NA) detection from raw samples. Thus, most diagnostic virology laboratories combine viral culture, immunofluorescent staining, and PCR assays to detect respiratory viruses. 

Specialists must know the characteristics and limitations of commercial kits provided to keep the costs affordable. Since novel viral outbreaks are inevitable, it is urgent to have portable, fast, and accurate virus-sensing technology for timely diagnosis. Virus identification will help (1) determine treatment strategies, (2) predict disease course and outcome, (3) anticipate the potential for virus spread, (4) identify and vaccinate susceptible individuals, and (5) track virus movement. Hence the efforts invested in this rapidly developing domain should continue and materialize.

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022 Feb 10;12:807253. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.807253. PMID: 35252028; PMCID: PMC8895598.