Researchers develop simple blood tests to help prevent intake of antibiotics
Posted on: 09/Jul/2016 4:24:46 PM
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California have developed an inexpensive blood test could one day tell doctors whether an infection is caused by a virus or a bacteria, and help prevent unwarranted prescribing of antibiotics. The test was described in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine.
Speaking about this, the researchers said, A lot of times you can’t really tell what kind of infection someone has. If someone comes into the clinic, a bacterial or a viral infection often looks exactly the same. The new test, which is not yet on the market, works by identifying seven human genes whose activity changes during an infection, and whose pattern of activity can reveal whether an infection is bacterial or viral. Many diagnostics focus on trying to find bacteria in the bloodstream, but most infected people don’t have bloodstream infections, meaning such tests aren’t helpful. In contrast, our test can detect an infection anywhere in the body by ‘reading the immune system. It is also significantly better three times better at ruling out bacterial infections compared to the next-best similar test, procalcitonin.
A senior author of the paper said, The idea for such a test came after research published last year showed a common response by the human immune system to multiple viruses that is distinct from that for bacterial infections. If we really want to make a difference, our test has to be more cost-effective than the drug itself. A commercial, rapid version of the test should be into clinical trials in around 18-24 months. Because of FDA regulations, etc., it may be a few years before it’s on the market.
