Novel Diagnostic Methods in Feline Viral Infectious Diseases: A Systematic Review

Background: Viral infectious diseases pose a serious threat to feline health. To effectively treat viral infectious diseases epidemiologically and clinically, it is essential to make these diagnoses as quickly and accurately as possible. A new era of innovative diagnostic procedures is emerging, marking a departure from traditional approaches such as viral culture and serology, which often have limitations in terms of sensitivity, speed, and specificity. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify, classify, and investigate these non-traditional approaches and the therapeutic uses of these approaches. Methods: The current study was conducted as a systematic review with a structured search in reputable databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, for articles published between January ۲۰۱۵ and December ۲۰۲۴. Keywords used included “molecular diagnosis,” “cat,” “virus,” “next-generation sequencing,” “real-time PCR,” and “multiple panels.” The inclusion criteria were full-text articles in English that evaluated novel diagnostic methods for common feline viruses (e.g., FIV, FeLV, FCoV, FHV-۱, FCV). The screening and data extraction process was performed independently by two reviewers. Results: A total of ۲۷ studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. Findings have shown that PCR-based methods, particularly real-time PCR (qPCR), have established themselves as the new gold standard for detecting many pathogens. On the other hand, more modern technologies are emerging, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), which enables the simultaneous identification of multiple infections (utilizing multiple panels) and the discovery of viruses that were previously unknown. Further, tests based on CRISPR and microarrays have shown substantial promise for use in point-of-care detection and diagnosis. When compared to more conventional procedures, these techniques demonstrated significantly higher levels of sensitivity, specificity, and speed. Conclusion: Molecular technologies that are quick, sensitive, and multiplex are becoming more prevalent in the field of diagnosing viral infections in felines. The next generation of technologies, such as NGS and CRISPR, will transform the future of diagnostics by allowing more comprehensive and precise identification of infections.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cat ، Molecular diagnostics ، Next-generation sequencing ، Real-time PCR ، Virus