Point-of-Care Diagnostic Laboratory Tests for Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Infectious diseases pose a significant threat to global public health and the economy, with over half of the world's population at risk. Rapid, accurate, and accessible diagnostic tools are crucial for effective disease management and control. Point-of-care (POC) tests have emerged as essential solutions, particularly in resource-limited settings, offering advantages such as faster results, improved sensitivity and specificity, lower costs, and on-site detection capabilities. This review discusses the clinical needs for POC testing of major pathogens, including malaria, HIV, HPV, dengue, Ebola, Zika, and tuberculosis. It also examines key biomarkers for POC testing, such as pathogen nucleic acids, proteins, circulating microRNAs, and antibodies, and their roles in monitoring disease stages and treatment outcomes. Recent technological advancements in microfluidics and plasmonics are highlighted as critical components of the "POCT Toolbox." Microfluidic devices enable the miniaturization and integration of laboratory diagnostic functionalities onto portable chips, while plasmonic technologies, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), offer high sensitivity, label-free detection, and real-time monitoring capabilities. The combination of these technologies holds promise for developing cost-effective, robust, and portable diagnostic platforms for infectious diseases. However, challenges in designing and developing these technologies remain, necessitating further research and development efforts to fully realize the potential of POC diagnostics in the fight against infectious diseases and global health crises.