Point-of-care potentials of lateral flow-based field screening for <i>Mycoplasma bovis</i> infections: a literature review

Abstract

Point-of-care (POC) field screening for tools for <i>Mycoplasma bovis</i> (<i>M. bovis)</i> is still lacking due to the requirement for a simple, robust field-applicable test that does not entail specialized laboratory equipment. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, this review identifies the methodologies that were retrieved based on our search strategy that have been reported for the diagnosis of <i>m. bovis</i> infection between 2014 and diagnostics. A search criterion was generated to curate 103 articles, which were reduced in number (to 46), following the screening guidelines of PRISMA. The 43 articles included in the study present 25 different assay methods. The assay methods were grouped as microbiological culture, serological assay, PCR-based assay, LAMP-based assay, NGS-based assay, or lateral flow assay. We, however, focus our discussion on the three lateral flow-based assays relative to others, highlighting the advantages they present above the other techniques and their potential applicability as a POC diagnostic test for <i>M. bovis</i> infections. We therefore call for further research on developing a lateral flow-based screening tool that could revolutionize the diagnosis of <i>M. bovis</i> infection.