Nanointerventions for Detections of Viral Livestock Diseases

Timely and rapid diagnosis always favours the outcome of all diseases including the viral ones and thus stands key for successful control and corrective measures. Most pathogenic viruses are contagious and fast acting in subjects with respect to any other diseases; hence early and rapid diagnosis with high sensitivity and specificity is more crucial for viral diseases. Various diagnostic tests had been developed in the past primarily based upon detecting viral nucleic acids, antigens or their cognate antibody in the host-body fluid through serological tests like ELISA, histochemistry, fluorescence antibody test or nucleic acid amplification techniques such as conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR (q-PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and nested PCR. However, sensitivity, specificity, cost, throughput or robustness are some of the major aspects that urge further improvements and most importantly additional focus needs to be paid on developing point-of-care or animal-side diagnostics that will certainly benefit the terminal farmers the most. In order to address such issues of conventional diagnostic techniques nanoparticle-based diagnostics have yielded favourable outcomes. Various nanoparticles due to their high surface area, modified functionalization, enhanced porosity, distinct opto-electronics and magnetic properties have proven advantageous in diagnostics; some of them impart simultaneous diagnostic as well as therapeutic values to bear theranostic capability. Exploitation of these unique physico-chemical properties specific to the type of nanoparticles has been employed to develop diagnostic tests that are more efficient and convenient than the traditional methods. Recently, nanoconjugated biochemicals are used oftentimes in sample preparation or detection systems that have potentiated the diagnostic efficiency of conventional pathogen detection modalities. Further, various nanoparticle-based biosensors, lateral flow modalities have extended the opportunity of rapid and animal-side diagnostics depicting marked benefits over the conventional systems. Handful of such nanodiagnostics is already in the pipeline for commercialization and several more will certainly become reality imminently. The enormous input directed towards developing state-of-the-art nanodiagnostic platforms will certainly have a lusty impression in the landscape of viral livestock disease diagnosis and for controlling the transmission of the contagious pathogens through rapid detection followed by isolation measures. This will be beneficial for not only animal health but also human subjects by limiting the transmission of zoonotic viral diseases and providing food safety.