[Laboratory diagnosis of viral hemorrhagic fevers]

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) refer to a group of acute infections with high case fatality rates that are caused by four distinct families of RNA viruses belonging to the families Bunyaviridae, Flaviviridae, Filoviridae and Arenaviridae, the main clinical symptoms of these diseases are accompanied by fever and bleeding. For the reason that these infections have similar primary clinical symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose and distinguish them; rapid and reliable laboratory diagnostic tests are required in suspected cases for epidemiological investigation and controlling the spread of VHFs. This review addresses the laboratory diagnostics of VHFs, covering etiological classification and different diagnostic techniques, such as virus isolation, nucleic acid detection, as well as antigen and antibody assays. Prospects for novel diagnostic tools are also discussed.