The research progress of exhaled volatile organic compounds on the COVID-19

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can be transmitted through human exhaled breath and has a huge impact on global public health. Early diagnosis of COVID-19 and isolation of positive cases have proven to be fundamental to containing the spread of infection. While polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods remain the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19, the urgent need for rapid and large-scale diagnosis has promote to the development of alternative diagnosis methods. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have shown great potential as biomarkers for a variety of diseases. VOC profiles can be altered by the pathogen itself, host-pathogen interactions, or host immune responses during infection. Exhaled VOC-based detection technology provides a simple, rapid, non-invasive, and immediate diagnostic method that is expected to be a promising alternative for large-scale screening and ultimately optimizing COVID-19 prevention and control strategies. In here, we have reviewed the principle of VOC detection for COVID-19, the current research status, the existing shortcomings and the prospects.

Abstract

摘要： 新型冠状病毒肺炎(corona virus disease 2019, COVID-19)是一种传染性极强的呼吸道疾病, 可通过人类呼出 的气体感染, 对全球公共卫生产生巨大影响。COVID-19的早期诊断和阳性病例的隔离巳被证明是遏制感染蔓延的基 础。尽管基于聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction, PCR)的方法仍然是诊断COVID-19的金标准, 但对快速和大规 模诊断的迫切需求促使了替代诊断方法的发展。挥发性有机化合物(volatile organic compounds, VOC)巳经显示出作为 各种疾病的生物标志物的巨大潜力, VOC谱可以在感染过程中被病原体本身、宿主-病原体相互作用或宿主免疫反应 改变。基于呼出气VOC的检测技术提供了一种简单、快速、无创、即时的诊断方法, 可望用于大规模筛查, 并最终优化 COVID-19的防控策略, 是一种很有前途的替代方法。本文综述了 VOC检测COVID-19的作用原理、研究现状、存在的 不足以及展望。