Robertson Betty H, Nicholson Janet K A
National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
Annu Rev Public Health. 2005;26:281-302. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144522.
The realm of diagnostic assays for detection of acute infections is rapidly changing from antibody detection to pathogen detection, from clinical laboratory based to point-of-care based, from single analyte detection to multiple analyte detection, and is more focused on detection using less invasive approaches for collecting biological samples. New assays are typically more sensitive than are conventional assays and have the capability of providing more information that characterizes the pathogen or the host response to the pathogen. From a public health perspective, the advent of molecular epidemiology, which allows tracking of pathogens based on unique genetic sequences or antigenic properties, has revolutionized how epidemiologists investigate and evaluate epidemics and assess endemic diseases. In addition, the use of point-of-care (POC) devices can impact the detection and surveillance of infections and will enhance our ability to accurately identify the causes of illnesses.
用于检测急性感染的诊断检测领域正在迅速变化，从抗体检测转向病原体检测，从基于临床实验室转向基于即时检测，从单一分析物检测转向多种分析物检测，并且更侧重于使用侵入性较小的方法来采集生物样本进行检测。新的检测方法通常比传统检测方法更灵敏，并且能够提供更多有关病原体或宿主对病原体反应的特征信息。从公共卫生的角度来看，分子流行病学的出现使人们能够基于独特的基因序列或抗原特性追踪病原体，彻底改变了流行病学家调查和评估疫情以及评估地方病的方式。此外，即时检测（POC）设备的使用会影响感染的检测和监测，并将提高我们准确识别疾病病因的能力。
