New Insights into the Diagnosis of Viral Infections

A Special Issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418) belonging to the section "Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2027 | Viewed by 1807

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Guest Editor
Special Infectious Agents Unit-BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Interests: human papillomavirus; hepatitis viruses; infectious diseases; viral epidemiology; mo-lecular virology; viral diagnostics; seroprevalence studies
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Viral infections remain a major global health challenge, as demonstrated by recent outbreaks and pandemics, highlighting the need for rapid, accurate, and innovative diagnostic approaches. Significant advancements in molecular diagnostics, serological assays, next-generation sequencing, biosensors, and point-of-care technologies have significantly improved the detection and monitoring of viral diseases.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue entitled “New Insights into the Diagnosis of Viral Infections.” This Special Issue aims to highlight recent scientific advancements and emerging technologies in viral diagnostics and their applications in clinical practice, epidemiology, and public health. The topic aligns with the journal’s scope in virology, infectious diseases, molecular medicine, and translational biomedical research.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Molecular and serological diagnostics;
  • Point-of-care testing;
  • Next-generation sequencing applications;
  • Biomarkers for viral infections;
  • Artificial intelligence in diagnostics;
  • Emerging and re-emerging viral diseases;
  • Diagnostic assay validation and epidemiological surveillance.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Mai M. El-Daly
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • viral diagnostics
  • molecular detection
  • point-of-care testing
  • biosensor technology
  • AI diagnostics serological assays
  • emerging viruses
  • genomic sequencing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1222 KB  
Article
Pilot Evaluation of Simplified HBV DNA Extraction–LAMP Workflows for Hepatitis B Molecular Testing in Resource-Limited Settings
by Nang Kham-Kjing, Warit Kongfu, Patcharaporn Matthanawut, Nachcharee Srisupattanakul, Sayamon Hongjaisee, Nicole Ngo-Giang-Huong and Woottichai Khamduang
Diagnostics 2026, 16(17), 2756; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16172756 - 28 Aug 2026
Viewed by 679
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Access to hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA testing remains limited in resource-limited settings. The main reasons for this are the high cost of molecular assays and the need for specialized infrastructure. This pilot study aimed to preliminarily develop and evaluate simple HBV [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Access to hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA testing remains limited in resource-limited settings. The main reasons for this are the high cost of molecular assays and the need for specialized infrastructure. This pilot study aimed to preliminarily develop and evaluate simple HBV DNA extraction methods combined with the colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique. Methods: Three extraction methods were evaluated: (i) boiling-based, (ii) paper-based, and (iii) an adapted magnetic bead-based extraction method. Preliminary analytical performance was assessed using serially diluted HBV DNA-positive pooled plasma. Detection performance was evaluated using 40 clinical plasma specimens, including 35 HBV DNA-positive and 5 HBV DNA-negative samples, with real-time PCR as the reference standard. Results: The preliminary analytical detection level observed under the tested conditions was 105 IU/mL for the LAMP methods using boiling- or paper-based extraction, while it was 103 IU/mL with the adapted magnetic bead-based extraction–LAMP method. Evaluation using clinical specimens showed sensitivities of 43%, 54%, and 63%, respectively. Detection was dependent on viral load, with the highest detection observed among specimens with HBV DNA concentrations above 105 IU/mL. Conclusions: In this laboratory pilot, the workflows showed viral-load-dependent qualitative detection, with the adapted magnetic bead-based workflow yielding the highest observed detection rate. These findings require confirmation through formal analytical validation and larger, independent clinical studies before any clinical or implementation use can be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into the Diagnosis of Viral Infections)
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