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ABSTRACT
Introduction
Gut microbes pose challenges like colon inflammation, deadly diarrhea, antimicrobial resistance dissemination, and chronic disease onset. Development of early, rapid and specific diagnosis tools is essential for improving infection control. Point-of-care testing (POCT) systems offer rapid, sensitive, low-cost and sample-to-answer methods for microbe detection from various clinical and environmental samples, bringing the advantages of portability, automation, and simple operation.
Areas covered
Rapid detection of gut microbes can be done using a wide array of techniques including biosensors, immunological assays, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and molecular biology. Inclusion of Internet of Things, machine learning, and smartphone-based point-of-care applications is an important aspect of POCT. In this review, the authors discuss various fast diagnostic platforms for gut pathogens and their main challenges.
Expert opinion
Developing effective assays for microbe detection can be complex. Assay design must consider factors like target selection, real-time and multiplex detection, sample type, reagent stability and storage, primer/probe design, and optimizing reaction conditions for accuracy and sensitivity. Mitigating these challenges requires interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists, clinicians, engineers, and industry partners. Future efforts are essential to enhance sensitivity, specificity, and versatility of POCT systems for gut microbe detection and quantification, advancing infectious disease diagnostics and management.
Article highlights
Gut microbes pose a significant health concern and their fast detection is crucial.
POCT systems offer rapid, sensitive, low-cost and sample-to-answer methods for the detection of gut microbes.
Detection of gut pathogens can be done using a wide array of techniques including NA amplification, immunological assays, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry.
The current trends in POCT involve incorporating wireless communication and machine learning along with exploring the intricacies of the gut microbiome.
Given the complexity inherent in creating assays for the detection of gut microbes, the design process must take into account various factors such as target selection, the potential for real-time and multiplex detection, stability and storage of reagents, primer/probe design, and optimization of reaction conditions.
In the forthcoming years, substantial advancements are anticipated in domains such as the discovery and authentication of new biomarkers linked to infectious diseases and sepsis, as well as the creation of predictive models for disease patterns and personalized treatment approaches utilizing POCT data.
Abbreviations
| CFU | = | colony forming units |
| CRISPR | = | clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats |
| EIEC | = | Enteroinvasive E. coli |
| ELISA | = | enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay |
| EPEC | = | Enteropathogenic E. coli |
| HDA | = | helicase-dependent amplification |
| HIV | = | human immunodeficiency virus |
| HPV | = | human papillomavirus |
| IoT | = | Internet of Things |
| LAMP | = | loop-mediated isothermal amplification |
| ML | = | machine learning |
| NA | = | nucleic acid |
| NASBA | = | nucleic acid sequence-based amplification |
| PCR | = | polymerase chain reaction |
| POC | = | point-of-care |
| POCT | = | point-of-care-testing |
| RCA | = | rolling circle amplification |
| RPA | = | Recombinase Polymerase Amplification |
Author contributions
G Gradisteanu Pircalabioru and C Iliescu were involved in the conception and design of the manuscript. M Raileanu, G Gradisteanu Pircalabioru, M Viorel Dionisie, and IO Lixandru-Petre were involved in drafting of the paper. C Iliescu revised the paper critically for intellectual content; All authors approved of the final version to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Acknowledgments
Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Declaration of interest
The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
Reviewer disclosures
Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.