Uncovering the mechanisms of virus infection and assembly is crucial for preventing the spread of viruses and treating viral disease. The technique of single-virus tracking (SVT), also known as single-virus tracing, allows one to follow individual viruses at different parts of their life cycle and thereby provides dynamic insights into fundamental processes of viruses occurring in live cells. SVT is typically based on fluorescence imaging and reveals insights into previously unreported infection mechanisms. In this review article, we provide the readers a broad overview of the SVT technique. We first summarize recent advances in SVT, from the choice of fluorescent labels and labeling strategies to imaging implementation and analytical methodologies. We then describe representative applications in detail to elucidate how SVT serves as a valuable tool in virological research. Finally, we present our perspectives regarding the future possibilities and challenges of SVT.

中文翻译：

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单一病毒跟踪：从映像方法到病毒学应用程序。

揭示病毒感染和组装的机制对于防止病毒传播和治疗病毒性疾病至关重要。单病毒跟踪（SVT）技术也称为单病毒跟踪，它使人们可以在生命周期的不同部分跟踪单个病毒，从而动态了解活细胞中病毒的基本过程。SVT通常基于荧光成像，揭示了以前未报告的感染机制的见解。在这篇评论文章中，我们为读者提供了SVT技术的广泛概述。我们首先总结SVT的最新进展，从荧光标记和标记策略的选择到成像实施和分析方法学。然后，我们将详细描述具有代表性的应用程序，以阐明SVT如何在病毒学研究中充当有价值的工具。最后，我们提出关于SVT未来可能性和挑战的观点。