Nanobiosensors for virus detection in the environment

Abstract Viruses are termed as a connecting link between living and non-living world. Being a non-living entity, they are harmless until they meet a suitable host. They have all the tools available with them to make their copies after coming in contact with their host. Due to their cumulative infectivity to almost every organism on this planet, new types of viruses are continuously coming in action every year e.g. Zika virus, Swine flu virus. They can completely infect and deteriorate their host because of their late detection and asymptomatic propagation. Since, humans are the most sensitive and valuable host to viruses, their detection at an early stage is of utmost importance to save a life. Up to now, many assays have been developed which can detect the presence of virus in cells and body fluids, but most of them are time consuming and non-feasible processes. To minimize the work load and time consumption, nano-sensors are developed which are based on utilization of biological components. These sensors use biological outfits like enzyme of a reaction, ligand of any receptor or fluorescent signals developed in any kind of reactions. Possibility of any of the above process in any kind of viral infected system leads to generation of signals which is further processed and amplified to confirm the presence of viral particles. Nano biosensors are preferred over other assays because they are handy, multiple application and minimum time consuming. The following chapter is centered on development and application of nanobiosensors for detection of viruses in air and water.