Abstract

This review summarizes studies published after 2013 related to pathogen detection using microfluidics and focuses on integrating microfluidics with optics, electrochemistry, acoustics, or cantilevers to detect pathogens. This review is divided into five sections. Section 1 introduces the presence of global health concerns and outbreaks caused by pathogens. Section 2 reviews conventional tools for pathogen detection and their disadvantages. Section 3 describes four microfluidic methods used for pathogen detection. Section 4 presents the challenges and future developments in microfluidics. Finally, Section 5 offers concluding remarks regarding microfluidics and suggestions for solving current challenges.

Keywords: Bacteria, chip, fungi, microfluidics, pathogen detection, virus.

Graphical Abstract