Sensors for surveillance of RNA viruses: a One Health perspective

RNA viruses, especially those capable of cross-species transmission, pose a serious threat to human, animal, and environmental health, as exemplified by the 2024 outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in cattle, unpasteurised milk, and workers on dairy farms in the USA. This escalating risk of a new RNA virus pandemic highlights the urgent need to implement One Health strategies. However, the centralised virus detection systems currently in use fall short of meeting the required level of virus surveillance and infection diagnosis, particularly in resource-limited regions. In this context, the latest advancements in RNA virus-sensing technologies offer promising solutions. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, these sensors can achieve sensitivity and reliability similar to that of standard laboratory equipment and offer several advantages, such as compact size, affordability, and operational simplicity. In this Review, we highlight the latest advances in sensing technologies for detecting different biomarkers of viral infections (RNA, antigens, and antibodies). We further compare the sensing principles and performances of these technologies and discuss the possibility of deployment of these sensors in the One Health approach and the challenges expected in this pursuit. In conclusion, the widespread use of RNA virus sensors is expected to enhance the effectiveness of surveillance systems for infectious diseases.