High-performance biosensing systems for diagnostics of sexually transmitted disease - A strategic review

Globally, millions of people have been infected with sexually transmitted pathogens, lowering their quality of life in every way, be it emotional, social, or economic. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), though, as the very name suggests, are transmitted through sexual contact majorly, but there have been incidences of non-sexual transmissions. Only appropriate diagnosis is the key to managing this condition and stopping it. To identify STDs, several detection methods, such as PCR and serological tests, are available; however, these procedures have numerous drawbacks, such as being less sensitive, costly, and requiring an expert. To overcome such limitations, a newly developing approach known as a biosensor is used to diagnose this disease due to its various advantages, such as early detection, cheap cost, robustness, high sensitivity, and specificity, which make this device more reliable compared to the traditional one. Biosensors for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have the potential to serve as the backbone required by the World Health Organization's Global health sector plan on STIs from 2016 to 2021. Certain biosensors can also simultaneously detect two or more causative agents via multiplexing, making them much more useful. In recent years, there has been great progress in developing STD biosensors. The presented review aims to outline STDs, their prevalence and severity, the limitations of the current approaches, and how these biosensors are a ray of light in providing efficient, sensitive, and portable devices that are in high demand, as well as their future possibilities.

Automated summary

Globally, millions of people are infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), impacting their emotional, social, and economic well-being. Traditional diagnostic methods for STDs, such as PCR and serological tests, have limitations like cost and sensitivity. However, the emerging biosensor technology offers advantages like early detection, affordability, robustness, and high sensitivity, making it more reliable. Biosensors have the potential to support the World Health Organization's plan on STDs and can detect multiple pathogens simultaneously. This review highlights the importance of STD biosensors in providing efficient, sensitive, and portable devices, addressing the limitations of current approaches, and discussing future possibilities.