Molecular Biomarkers for Viral Infection, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "General Virology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 909

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Institute of Biology, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
2. Center for Experimental Immunology and Immunobiology in Infectious Diseases and Cancer, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
Interests: animal models; viral infections; immune system; innate immunity; T cells; flow cytometry; real-time PCR
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Molecular biomarkers have emerged as invaluable tools in the diagnosis and management of viral infections, offering insights into disease progression, treatment efficacy, and prognosis. Several molecular agents may serve as biomarkers, such as nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites. Importantly, their presence or alteration is crucial for the host's immune response. Nucleic-acid-based biomarkers, like viral RNA or DNA, provide direct evidence of viral replication within host cells, enabling sensitive detection through techniques like PCR or next-generation sequencing. Additionally, host gene expression profiles offer insights into immune responses and viral pathogenesis, providing important data for disease severity prediction. Protein biomarkers, including viral antigens or host immune factors, serve as indicators of active infection, aiding in early diagnosis and in monitoring treatment response. Furthermore, metabolomic signatures reflect the dynamic interplay between the virus and host metabolism, offering potential targets for therapeutic intervention and personalized medicine approaches.

By discovering new, adjustable, and effective molecular biomarkers for viral infections, we can improve the diagnosis and treatment of these infections, providing better potential outcomes for patients.

Dr. Paulina Niedźwiedzka-Rystwej
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • molecular biomarkers
  • viral infections
  • metabolism

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 557 KB  
Article
Inter-Method Agreement of a Laboratory-Developed Qualitative CMV PCR Assay Across Multiple Non-Plasma Clinical Specimens
by Murat Aral, Ayfer Bakır, Cemal Çiçek, Elif Tuğçe Güner, Didem Özkan, Gülşah Ceylan Yağız, Mehmet Morkoç, Muhammed Furkan Kürkçü, Yusuf Üstün, Harun Erdal, Şevki Çelen, Emine Bahar Kurt, Serap Akçalı Duru, Asuman Nur Karhan, Ferda Özbay Hoşnut, Ayşegül Tok, Nilgün Eroğlu, Ferit Kulalı, Nurcan Hanedan, Yasemin Erol, Ahmet Kürşad Güneş, Göknur Yapar Toros and Ebru Oruçadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Viruses 2026, 18(4), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18040417 - 27 Mar 2026
Viewed by 688
Abstract
Background: This study evaluated the inter-method agreement of an in-house qualitative CMV real-time PCR assay for the detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in various non-plasma clinical specimen types, in comparison with a commercially available comparator assay. Methods: In this prospective comparative study, 186 [...] Read more.
Background: This study evaluated the inter-method agreement of an in-house qualitative CMV real-time PCR assay for the detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in various non-plasma clinical specimen types, in comparison with a commercially available comparator assay. Methods: In this prospective comparative study, 186 clinical specimens—including bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), stool, urine, colonoscopic biopsy, amniotic fluid, and intraocular fluid—were analyzed. A total of 166 samples with valid results from both test systems were included in the inter-method comparison. CMV DNA was detected using the in-house qualitative PCR assay in parallel with the comparator assay (artus® CMV QS-RGQ kit). Agreement was assessed using positive percent agreement (PPA), negative percent agreement (NPA), overall percent agreement (OPA), and Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ), in accordance with CLSI EP12-A2 recommendations. Results: Substantial overall inter-method agreement was observed when all specimens were evaluated collectively (κ = 0.66). Agreement metrics were highest in stool, urine, and invasive specimens, whereas BALF samples demonstrated comparatively lower agreement, reflecting potential matrix-related analytical variability. Conclusion: The laboratory-developed qualitative CMV PCR assay demonstrated substantial inter-method agreement with the comparator assay across multiple non-plasma specimen types. The findings highlight specimen-specific variability in qualitative CMV DNA detection and represent analytical concordance between two molecular assays rather than definitive clinical diagnostic accuracy or viral load quantification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Biomarkers for Viral Infection, 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop