Raman and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques for detection of coronavirus (COVID-19): a mini review

Abstract

Coronavirus pandemic has been a huge jeopardy to human health in various systems since it outbroke, early detection and prevention of further escalation has become a priority. The current popular approach is to collect samples using the nasopharyngeal swab method and then test for RNA using the real-time polymerase chain reaction, which suffers from false-positive results and a longer diagnostic time scale. Alternatively, various optical techniques, namely, optical sensing, spectroscopy, and imaging shows a great promise in virus detection. In this mini review, we briefly summarize the development progress of vibrational spectroscopy techniques and its applications in the detection of SARS-CoV family. Vibrational spectroscopy techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy received increasing appreciation in bio-analysis for their speediness, accuracy and cost-effectiveness in detection of SARS-CoV. Further, an account of emerging photonics technologies of SARS-CoV-2 detection and future possibilities is also explained. The progress in the field of vibrational spectroscopy techniques for virus detection unambiguously show a great promise in the development of rapid photonics-based devices for COVID-19 detection.

Keywords: ATR-FTIR; COVID-19; FTIR spectroscopy; Raman spectroscopy; SERS; diagnostics.

FIGURE 1

Application of surface-enhanced Raman technique in virus detection. (A) Workflow from saliva collection to determination of COVID infection status from Raman spectra. Copyright^© 2022, International Society for Optical Engineering. (B) The use of Raman/laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy devices has the potential to detect viruses through saliva at a safer distance. Copyright^© 2021, Elsevier. (C) A schematic of the application of SERS active substrates to detect biological and chemical materials. Copyright^© 2018, Elsevier. (D) A platform based on Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometric analysis to monitor tomato infection by two dangerous and different viral pathogens, namely, tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Copyright^© 2022, Elsevier. (E) Schematic illustration of the magnetically assisted SERS immunoassay for SARS-CoV-2. Copyright^© 2019 American Chemical Society.

FIGURE 2

Application of FTIR spectroscopy in virus detection. (A) ATR-FTIR spectral changes of culture supernatants, in vitro SARS-CoV-2 infection 132 model. Copyright^© 2021 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications (B) Schematic illustration of attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for detecting COVID-19 from routine nasopharyngeal swab samples Copyright^© 2021 Nature Publishing Group (C) Diagram of attenuated total reflection Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy for detection of COVID-19 from blood samples Copyright^© 2021 American Chemical Society. (D) ATR-FTIR process for rapid blood testing and classification of COVID-19 disease severity in 160 patients with COVID-19 disease. Copyright^© 2021 American Chemical Society. (E) Scheme for micro-FTIR refectance measurements for human serum. Copyright^© 2022 Nature Publishing Group.