Rapid diagnosis of viral pathogens

The past decade has seen significant improvement in the laboratory methods for the diagnosis of viral infections. Specific antiviral agents are available for treatment of several viral infections, further increasing the need for rapid and accurate viral diagnostics. Multiple rapid direct detection methods are available commercially for many viruses. Isolation of viruses has been improved by the use of centrifugation-enhanced culture and pre-CPE detection. In the future, nucleic acid amplification techniques will also become widely available. Given limitations in resources, clinical laboratories need to critically examine the cost-effectiveness of newer methods in patient care.