Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Virology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1435384

The peculiar characteristics and advancement in diagnostic methodologies of influenza A virus

Provisionally accepted
Muhammad Asif Raza Muhammad Asif Raza 1,2Muhammad Awais Ashraf Muhammad Awais Ashraf 1,2Muhammad Nabeel Amjad Muhammad Nabeel Amjad 1,2Ghayyas Ud Din Ghayyas Ud Din 1Bei Shen Bei Shen 1Yihong Hu Yihong Hu 1,2*
  • 1 Shanghai Institute of Immunology and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
  • 2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Influenza A virus (IAV) is a significant public health concern, causing seasonal outbreaks and occasional pandemics. These outbreaks result from changes in the virus's surface proteins which include hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Influenza A virus has a vast reservoir, including wild birds, pigs, horses, domestic and marine animals. It has over 130 subtypes based on differences in hemagglutinin and neuraminidase protein. IAV affects all age groups but impacts young children more especially during the colder season. Despite the development of vaccines and antiviral drugs, IAV is still a major cause of respiratory illnesses and deaths. Surveillance of IAV is crucial to detect new strains and assess vaccine effectiveness. Detection of IAV relies on methods like hemagglutination assay, PCR, cell culturing, and immunochromatography-based tests. Precise and early detection of IAV strain is crucial for quick treatment using antiviral drugs and unraveling epidemiological patterns to curb epidemics and pandemics on time. Advancements in diagnostic methodologies have enabled us to detect the IAV at early stages by overcoming the limitations of previously used diagnostic tests, further preparing us to combat future epidemics more effectively. This review article discusses the traditional and advanced diagnosis methods for detecting IAV.

    Keywords: Influenza A virus, diagnosis, Polymerase Chain Reaction, next generation sequencing, Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification, Loop-mediated isothermal amplification

    Received: 10 Jul 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Raza, Ashraf, Amjad, Din, Shen and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yihong Hu, Shanghai Institute of Immunology and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai, 200031, Shanghai Municipality, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.