HOST BIOMARKER-BASED DIAGNOSTICS

Host biomarkers have been useful for the diagnosis of disease for many decades. Host biomarker-based diagnostics identify particular biological markers in a patient's body, such as proteins, metabolites, or nucleic acids that signify the existence, intensity, or kind of disease. Clinical diagnosis depends significantly on classifying patient diseases, managing cases, and guiding treatment and care plans. Therefore, there is always a requirement for rapid and point-of-care testing. These biomarkers can assist in the differentiation of infection amongst pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, tracking disease advancement, and directing treatment choices. However, some candidate biomarkers have emerged from recent studies in infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. The promising biomarkers are given strong consideration in current diagnostic settings: C-reactive protein, Procalcitonin for sepsis, various cytokines for diagnosing infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (e.g., Interferon-γ release assays, C- reactive proteins, Interleukin-6, Interferon gamma induces protein-10, Interleukin-2), quick identification of sepsis (e. g., presepson, Interleukin-6,), differentiating between bacterial and viral infections (e. g., Procalcitonin, C reactive protein), early identification of cancer (e. g., Cancer Antigen-125 for ovarian cancer, Prostate surface antigen, for prostate cancer), monitoring tumor progression (e. g., circulating tumor DNA), identifying autoimmune disorders (e. g., anti-nuclear antibodies for lupus), evaluating inflammatory responses (e. g., Tumor necrosis factor-α, Interleukin-1β), biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer‘s (e. g., amyloid-beta, tau protein). Nonetheless, there is a restricted comprehension of biomarker effectiveness, and its consequences in diagnostic settings are prompting new advancements in this area. In this chapter, we reviewed the scientific bases and clinical uses of host biomarker-based diagnostics, examining their revolutionary effect on infection management in various healthcare settings.