Abstract:
Infectious diseases remain a major threat to human health, and its rapid etiological diagnosis is crucial for timely treatment and reducing associated medical costs. Although microbial culture is still considered to be the "gold standard" for diagnosing infectious diseases, it has limitations such as long culture periods, limited detectable pathogenic types and low sensitivity, making it difficult to meet the diagnostic and treatment needs. In recent years, various new diagnostic technologies have developed rapidly, which significantly shorten the detecting time, operate simply and improve the accuracy and sensitivity. This review highlights the importance of optimizing conventional microbial reporting processes and proposes the potential of integrating mass spectrometry technology into these processes. By introducing new rapid molecular technologies, the development and optimization of rapid diagnostic tests were suggested for their significant clinical applicational values and favorable health economic benefits.