Volatile Organic Compounds as Novel Markers for the Detection of Bacterial Infections

Abstract

Bacterial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been considered as sensitive and specific biomarkers for bacterial detection in human specimens and culture media. The possibility of using VOCs markers as one of the largest groups of bacterial metabolites would open a new frontier for developing more efficient techniques in the diagnosis of bacterial infections. This review will discuss the current published theory and data regarding the use of bacterial VOCs as markers in bacterial infections.