Multi-analyte suspension arrays for the detection of common viruses: how viable are these assays in clinical laboratories?

Abstract

This article assesses the viability of a recently described multi-analyte suspension array for the detection of herpes simplex viruses-1 and -2, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus and hepatitis B virus. This methodology was identified by the authors as a means of providing rapid, high-throughput multiplex assays that were easy to use. When paired with PCR assays, multi-analyte suspension arrays have the ability to overcome drawbacks associated with conventional detection methods such as long turnaround time, detection sensitivity and the ability to detect only one pathogen in each round of testing. However, the assays described in this article are still hampered by some key issues including limit of detection, the fact that median fluorescence intensity is not truly a quantitative diagnostic method, and that open molecular diagnostic systems can lead to contamination and/or increased operator-based errors. Although modern pressures on clinical virology laboratories have increased the need to develop a system that can detect pathogens in multiplexed assays, in the future these assays will only become more clinically relevant if they are designed with greater stakeholder input.