title: Emerging molecular assays for detection and characterization of respiratory viruses.
abstract: This article describes several emerging molecular assays that have potential applications in the diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory viral infections. These techniques include direct nucleic acid detection by quantum dots, loop-mediated isothermal amplification, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, amplification using arbitrary primers, target-enriched multiplexing amplification, pyrosequencing, padlock probes, solid and suspension microarrays, and mass spectrometry. Several of these systems already are commercially available to provide multiplex amplification and high-throughput detection and identification of a panel of respiratory viral pathogens. Further validation and implementation of such emerging molecular assays in routine clinical virology services will enhance the rapid diagnosis of respiratory viral infections and improve patient care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Wenjuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yi-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D045663:Quantum Dots; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity