Next-generation diagnostic test for dengue virus detection using an ultrafast plasmonic colorimetric RT-PCR strategy

作者：Jiang, Kunlun; Lee, Jung-Hoon^*; Fung, To Sing; Wu, Jingrui; Liu, Congnuan; Mi, Hua; Rajapakse, R. P. V. Jayanthe; Balasuriya, Udeni B. R.; Peng, Yung-Kang^*; Go, Yun Young^*

来源：Analytica Chimica Acta, 2023, 1274: 341565.

DOI：10.1016/j.aca.2023.341565

• Biosensor
• Plasmonic photothermal PCR
• Photothermal effect
• Colorimetric
• Dengue diagnosis

The current global COVID-19 pandemic once again highlighted the urgent need for a simple, cost-effective, and sensitive diagnostic platform that can be rapidly developed for distribution and easy access in resource-limited areas. Here, we present a simple and low-cost plasmonic photothermal (PPT)-reverse transcription-colorimetric polymerase chain reaction (RTcPCR) for molecular diagnosis of dengue virus (DENV) infection. The assay can be completed within 54 min with an estimated detection limit of 1.6 copies/mu L of viral nucleic acid. The analytical sensitivity and specificity of PPT-RTcPCR were comparable to that of the reference RT-qPCR assay. Moreover, the clinical performance of PPT-RTcPCR was evaluated and validated using 158 plasma samples collected from patients suspected of dengue infection. The results showed a diagnostic agreement of 97.5% compared to the reference RT-qPCR and demonstrated a clinical sensitivity and specificity of 97.0% and 100%, respectively. The simplicity and reliability of our PPT-RTcPCR strategy suggest it can provide a foundation for developing a field -deployable diagnostic assay for dengue and other infectious diseases.