Given the success of Research Topic
Point-of-Care Testing for Infectious and Foodborne Pathogens and the rapidly evolving subject area, we are pleased to announce the launch of Volume II.
Infectious and foodborne pathogens usually pose emergency threats to human and animal health. In recent years, they are gaining more attention due to emerging and re-emerging outbreaks, such as Influenza virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes virus, Ebola virus, Norovirus, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157, Hepatitis E virus, African Swine Fever virus and so on. On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency over the outbreak of the new coronavirus, called the 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). On 11 February, WHO officially named the disease as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is another reminder of how vulnerable the public health is to infectious and foodborne pathogens.
According to the WHO document, rapid and early detection of infectious and foodborne pathogens displays a dramatic impact on controlling and preventing an outbreak. To face current challenges regarding infectious and foodborne pathogens, a point-of-care testing (POCT) concept has been introduced to detection methods and devices. POCT requires that all of the analytical processes, from sample collection to result communication, should be performable in one or a few simple steps to reduce time and costs between test and treatment. WHO developed the ASSURED (affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid and robust, equipment-free, and deliverable) criteria that should be the paradigm for POCT. Development of low-cost and reliable POCT methods and devices with on-site application will have considerable advantages over laboratory-based testing, because lab-based testing requires expensive equipment and technological personnel which are mostly unavailable on-site. Although POCT has yet to be fully translated into on-site application, it is likely to become more common in the future.
This Research Topic is focused on novel POCT methods and devices for infectious and foodborne pathogens which pose emergency threats to the public heath for human and animals. We are engaged in a process aiming at improving on-site application of rapid diagnostic techniques by detecting analytes including antigens, nucleic acids and specific antibodies for microorganisms.
The research advances in POCT methods and devices are highly welcomed to be submitted to this Research Topic, such as microfluidics, nanomaterials, biosensors, molecular amplifications, wireless cell phone based technologies, lab-on-a-chip, and paper based devices with long-term reagent storage and the advanced POCT methods based on them. We welcome multiple article types including Original Research articles, Reviews and Mini Reviews.
