most existing POC tests consist of immunoassays, namely
agglutination, immunochromatographic and immunofiltration
tests [4] (Table 1). Some non-immunological POC tests
based on nucleic acid detection are already available for a
few organisms, and might represent a major advance in the
coming years, with automation and generalization of these
technically demanding diagnostic approaches.
The decrease in analytical time in comparison with standard
microbiological procedures offers potentially substantial
benefits for the management of infectious diseases. Thus,
immediate identification of a specific pathogen allows the use
of adequate empirical therapy, which has been shown to
improve the outcome in critically ill patients [5,6]. Similarly,
in cases of particular clinical syndromes such as lower respiratory
tract infections, POC tests may help to quickly identify
situations where antibacterial therapy is relevant [7].
Conversely, the rapid diagnosis of viral infections such as
influenza can limit the prescription of antibacterial therapy