The basic affairs connected to the influenza virus were reviewed in the article, highlighting the newest trends in its diagnostic methods. Awareness of the threat of influenza arises from its ability to spread and cause a pandemic. The undiagnosed and untreated viral infection can have a fatal effect on humans. Thus, the early detection seems pivotal for an accurate treatment, when vaccines and other contemporary prevention methods are not faultless. Public health is being attacked with influenza containing new genes from a genetic assortment between animals and humankind. Unfortunately, the population does not have immunity for mutant genes and is attacked in every viral outbreak season. For these reasons, fast and accurate devices are in high demand. As currently used methods like Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests lack specificity, time and cost-savings, new methods are being developed. In the article, various novel detection methods, such as electrical and optical were compared. Different viral elements used as detection targets and analysis parameters, such as sensitivity and specificity, were presented and discussed.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 2 billion people each year are infected worldwide with flu-like pathogens including influenza. This is a contagious disease caused by viruses belonging to the family Orthomyxoviridae. Employee absenteeism caused by flu infection costs hundreds of millions of dollars every year. To successfully treat influenza virus infections, detection of the virus during the initial development phase of the infection is critical, when tens to hundreds of virus-associated molecules are present in the patient’s pharynx. In this study, we describe a novel universal diamond biosensor, which enables the specific detection of the virus at ultralow concentrations, even before any clinical symptoms arise. A diamond electrode is surface-functionalized with polyclonal anti-M1 antibodies, which then serve to identify the universal biomarker for the influenza virus, M1 protein. The absorption of the M1 protein onto anti-M1 sites of the electrode change its electrochemical impedance spectra. We achieved a limit of detection of 1 fg/ml in saliva buffer for the M1 biomarker, which corresponds to 5–10 viruses per sample in 5 minutes. Furthermore, the universality of the assay was confirmed by analyzing different strains of influenza A virus.

Influenza is a contagious disease caught by humans caused by viruses belonging to the family Orthomyxoviridae. Each year, the influenza virus infects millions of people and kills hundreds of thousands of them. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as virus propagation and isolation, antigen capture immunoassays and molecular methods are not sufficient for the detection of the influenza virus. Development of a valid diagnostic assay for quick detection (in less than an hour) of the virus, with high sensitivity, is a challenge for researchers all over the world. Here we present a new, universal immunosensor for detection of the influenza A virus. By using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and direct attachment of antibodies to the gold electrode the assay allows detection of the pathogen with sensitivity similar to molecular methods in relatively short time. Application of universal anti-M1 antibodies allows detection of all serotypes of influenza A virus. The simple design of the sensor facilitates miniaturization of the device and its implementation for routine diagnostics during first contact with the patient, before applying a proper treatment.

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