Vaishnav Aditya, Gurukiran Gurukiran, Ighodaro Osazuwa, Kandi Venkataramana
Cardiothoracic Surgery, St Bartholomew, London, GBR.
Orthopaedics and Trauma, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, GBR.
Cureus. 2023 Nov 13;15(11):e48756. doi: 10.7759/cureus.48756. eCollection 2023 Nov.
Microbial infections are extremely prevalent throughout the world. Bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses generally cause them. Most microbial infections spread from humans to humans and from animals to humans. A vast majority of microbial infections are self-limiting. However, some microbial infections result in severe morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of microbial infections generally depends on the direct demonstration of microbes in human clinical specimens through microscopy followed by culture. Some microbes are uncultivable, and among those that are cultivable, some take a very long time to grow in the laboratory. This causes delays in the diagnosis that may result in poor patient outcomes. Serological and molecular methods like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively, have been extensively used to diagnose infectious diseases. However, these require costly infrastructure and adequate personnel training. In this context, alternative, more efficient, and rapid detection methods for the diagnosis of microbial infections are warranted. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the role played by radiological investigations in the diagnosis and management of infectious diseases.
微生物感染在全球极为普遍。细菌、真菌、寄生虫和病毒通常会引发这些感染。大多数微生物感染在人与人之间以及从动物传播至人。绝大多数微生物感染是自限性的。然而,一些微生物感染会导致严重的发病和死亡。微生物感染的诊断通常依赖于通过显微镜检查在人类临床标本中直接发现微生物,随后进行培养。一些微生物无法培养,而在那些可培养的微生物中,有些在实验室中生长非常缓慢。这会导致诊断延迟,可能致使患者预后不佳。血清学和分子方法,如酶联免疫吸附测定(ELISA)和聚合酶链反应(PCR),已分别广泛用于诊断传染病。然而,这些方法需要昂贵的基础设施和充足的人员培训。在此背景下,有必要采用替代的、更高效且快速的检测方法来诊断微生物感染。在本综述中,我们全面讨论放射学检查在传染病诊断和管理中所起的作用。