Issue 33, 2024

Biosensors for detection of airborne pathogenic fungal spores: a review

Abstract

The excessive presence of airborne fungal spores presents major concerns with potential adverse impacts on public health and food safety. These spores are recognized as pathogens and allergens prevalent in both outdoor and indoor environments, particularly in public spaces such as hospitals, schools, offices and hotels. Indoor environments pose a heightened risk of pulmonary diseases due to continuous exposure to airborne fungal spore particles through constant inhalation, especially in those individuals with weakened immunity and immunocompromised conditions. Detection methods for airborne fungal spores are often expensive, time-consuming, and lack sensitivity, making them unsuitable for indoor/outdoor monitoring. However, the emergence of micro–nano biosensor systems offers promising solutions with miniaturized designs, nanomaterial integration, and microfluidic systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in bio-nano-sensor system technology for detecting airborne fungal spores, while also discussing future trends in biosensor device development aimed at achieving rapid and selective identification of pathogenic airborne fungi.

Graphical abstract: Biosensors for detection of airborne pathogenic fungal spores: a review

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
18 Mas 2024
Accepted
18 Jul 2024
First published
19 Jul 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale, 2024,16, 15419-15445

Biosensors for detection of airborne pathogenic fungal spores: a review

R. Memon, J. H. Niazi and A. Qureshi, Nanoscale, 2024, 16, 15419 DOI: 10.1039/D4NR01175A

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