Diagnostics for human pathogenic fungal infections: Current status and future prospects

Abstract

Human fungal infections represent a rapidly emerging global health threat, especially threatening immunocompromised populations, highlighting the urgent need for accurate and timely diagnostic approaches to reduce morbidity and mortality. This review synthesizes recent advances in diagnostic methodologies, including serological assays, point-of-care diagnostics, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based and sequencing technologies, as well as artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-powered tools. Emerging diagnostic approaches have demonstrated notable improvements in detection accuracy, turnaround time, and antifungal resistance profiling capabilities, especially for drug-resistant strains. Nevertheless, substantial challenges persist in terms of standardization, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and implementation, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Future efforts should be directed toward the continuous innovation of rapid, sensitive, and multiplex diagnostic platforms for the simultaneous detection of fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Such advances may accelerate result acquisition, enhance diagnostic accuracy, support the development of more targeted therapeutic strategies, and ultimately improve clinical outcomes for patients.