The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) threatens the health of the global population and challenges our preparedness for pandemic threats. Previous outbreaks of coronaviruses and other viruses have suggested the importance of diagnostic technologies in fighting viral outbreaks. Nucleic acid detection techniques are the gold standard for detecting SARS-CoV-2. Viral antigen tests and serological tests that detect host antibodies have also been developed for studying the epidemiology of COVID-19 and estimating the population that may have immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, the availability, cost, and performance of existing viral diagnostic technologies limit their practicality, and novel approaches are required for improving our readiness for global pandemics. Here, we review the principles and limitations of major viral diagnostic technologies and highlight recent advances of molecular assays for COVID-19. In addition, we discuss emerging technologies, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) systems, high-throughput sequencing, and single-cell and single-molecule analysis, for improving our ability to understand, trace, and contain viral outbreaks. The prospects of viral diagnostic technologies for combating future pandemic threats are presented.

由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 引起的 2019 冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的出现威胁着全球人口的健康，并挑战我们对大流行威胁的准备。此前冠状病毒和其他病毒的爆发表明了诊断技术在对抗病毒爆发中的重要性。核酸检测技术是检测 SARS-CoV-2 的金标准。还开发了检测宿主抗体的病毒抗原测试和血清学测试，用于研究 COVID-19 的流行病学并估计可能对 SARS-CoV-2 具有免疫力的人群。然而，现有病毒诊断技术的可用性、成本和性能限制了它们的实用性，并且需要新的方法来提高我们对全球大流行病的准备。在这里，我们回顾了主要病毒诊断技术的原理和局限性，并重点介绍了 COVID-19 分子检测的最新进展。此外，我们还讨论了新兴技术，例如成簇规则间隔短回文重复序列 (CRISPR) 系统、高通量测序以及单细胞和单分子分析，以提高我们理解、追踪和遏制病毒爆发的能力。提出了病毒诊断技术应对未来大流行威胁的前景。