Molecular Diagnostics and Epidemiology of Viral Infections

Dear Colleagues,

The use of molecular biology methods is the first step towards timely and accurate diagnosis in the field of clinical virology. These methods ensure the appropriate treatment, limit the spread of the virus, and ensure the safety of blood products and organ transplants. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which can detect nucleic acid from a small sample amount, is the molecular tool of choice for detecting viral nucleic acids. Variations in this technique enable the detection of multiple targets from a single sample or measuring the viral load. Reading the sequence of the viral genomes allows us to obtain complete information on the pathogens circulating in the population, detect drug-resistance mutations, and develop effective treatments and vaccines. Sanger sequencing-based genotypic analysis is a method still widely used in laboratories worldwide; however, its limitations include the viral loads required for successful characterization and the ability to detect only genetic forms present in at least 20% of the sample population. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods produce a large amount of data, have the capacity to detect minority variants and can be performed in samples with a lower viral load; however, the disadvantages are high costs per sample and the complexity of the technology, making it unavailable in all laboratories. The aim of this Special Issue is to discuss and compare currently available molecular techniques for the detection of viral pathogens, develop new tests with higher sensitivity and specificity, detect multiple targets and preferably apply this in resource-limited settings. We also hope to elaborate on the strengths and weaknesses of Sanger vs. NGS when it comes to detecting drug resistance mutations and genotyping viruses for epidemiology purposes, like detecting a new pathogen to determine the source of an epidemic.

Dr. Ivana Grgic
Guest Editor

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• virus detection
• polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• nucleic acid sequencing
• viral drug resistance testing
• phylogenetic analysis
• viral genotypes/subtypes