The proliferation and transmission of viruses has become a threat to worldwide biosecurity, as exemplified by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Early diagnosis of viral infection and disease control have always been critical. Virus detection can be achieved based on various plasmonic phenomena, including propagating surface plasmon resonance (SPR), localized SPR, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, surface-enhanced fluorescence and surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy. The present review covers all available information on plasmonic-based virus detection, and collected data on these sensors based on several parameters. These data will assist the audience in advancing research and development of a new generation of versatile virus biosensors.

A variety of configurations and formats have been devised to exploit the phenomenon of surface plasmon on metal dielectric interfaces for sensing a variety of significant analytes, such as pesticides and explosives, pathogens and toxins, and diseased tissue. Researchers continue to aim at detecting lower concentrations in smaller volumes of samples in real time. A new research field, called nanoplasmnonics, has emerged in this regard.

It is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that, by using the guided-wave surface-plasmon sensor configuration with a top layer of dielectric thin film $(10–15\mathrm{nm})$ having a high value of the real part of the dielectric function, it is possible to improve the sensitivity of the sensor up to 1 order of magnitude. The stability is improved because the thin nanolayer acts as a protection layer for the metal. The enhancement is due to the increase in the interaction volume and the evanescent field enhancement near the top layer–analyte interface.