Application of spectrophotometric methods in detection of viral infections

Virusne infekcije pratile su ljudsku populaciju kroz povijest, a problem sprječavanja širenja zaraze aktualan je i danas. Jedini način rješavanja problema je brza identifikacija i detekcija uzročnika infekcije, ukoliko lijek ili cjepivo za infekciju ne postoje. Viruse je moguće detektirati molekularnim, biokemijskim, imunološkim i spektroskopskim metodama. Najčešće korištene metode su PCR i ELISA. Spektroskopske metode su nedestruktivne, brze i jednostavne, a temelje se na interakciji uzorka s elektromagnetskim zračenjem. Koriste se za određivanje strukture, mase ili položaja funkcionalnih grupa u molekuli. Korištenjem spektroskopskih metoda moguće je detektirati promjene u biološkim uzorcima uzrokovane prisutnošću virusa.Viral infections have traced the human population throughout history. The problem of preventing the spread of the infection remains today. The only way to solve the problem is to quickly identify and detect the cause of the infection. Viruses can be detected by molecular, biochemical, immunological and spectroscopic methods. The most commonly used methods are PCR and ELISA. Spectroscopic methods are non-destructive, fast and simple. They are based on the interaction of the sample with electromagnetic radiation. They are used to determine the structure, mass or position of functional groups in a molecule. Using spectroscopic methods, it is possible to detect changes in biological samples caused by the presence of a virus