Peptide Based Viral Detection Systems for Effective Diagnosis of Common Viral Infections in India

Accurate and swift detection of viruses causing diseases in humans represent continuous challenges to diagnostic and epidemiological research. Efficient and rapid diagnosis is crucial for effective implication of disease management strategies. Multitude approaches attempted to identify individual viruses, includes serological assays and molecular methods. Detection assays based on peptides have become increasingly substantial and indispensable for its advantages over conventional methods.

We have primarily outlined the progress made in peptide based diagnostic systems for the commonly found viral infections in India - Influenza virus, Chikungunya virus, Dengue virus, Rotavirus, Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Further, we have documented the recent advancements that could impact the upcoming developments of peptide based diagnostic assays.

In this review we identified that very few studies in development of peptide based assays for viral infections has been reported. In a country specific scenario like India and its burdened health care system, sensitive and rapid diagnostic kits based on peptides could be considered as a better alternative to the conventional serological tests including whole antigenic proteins.

The finding of this review uncovers the importance of a peptide based diagnostic system for rapid detection of viral infections. Even though, in recent times, peptide based assays have intrigued researchers, further work in this domain is entailed.