A comprehensive review of lateral flow assays in rapid livestock and poultry disease diagnostics.

Abstract

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are a vital tool for rapid, simple, and low-cost disease detection in poultry and livestock. LFAs became a widely used approach in veterinary diagnostics for better animal health management. In this study, we thoroughly highlight the concepts, recent developments, and applications of LFAs in the expedited diagnosis of livestock and poultry diseases. LFAs are portable, require minimal sample preparation, and can be used for point-of-care testing, making them ideal for resource-limited field settings. In this article, we examined various types of LFAs, including multiplex platforms, nucleic acid assays, and antigen-antibody-based detection approaches. We also emphasized their significance in identifying infections that threaten animal welfare, caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Recent advancements in LFA have significantly improved sensitivity and specificity, incorporating quantitative analysis, smartphone-compatible readout devices, and nanomaterials. This paper also addresses problems with false positives, the limited number of multiplexing situations it can handle at a time, and the need for enhanced stability across a wide range of environmental conditions. Furthermore, they investigated the possibility of LFAs satisfying the growing need for rapid disease diagnosis and surveillance, particularly in light of emerging zoonotic diseases. This review emphasizes the vital role of LFAs in improving diagnostics for livestock and poultry diseases by summarizing current trends and identifying research needs, thereby supporting global animal health and sustainable agricultural practices.