Researchers have created a diagnostic method capable of detecting bacterial infections from a small blood sample in infants with fevers who are two months old or younger, according to a new study published in JAMA. Further advancement of the method could result in a substantial improvement over the standard method of detection, which requires isolating the bacteria and growing them in a laboratory culture.
For the study, researchers examined blood samples from more than 279 infants with fevers (89 with bacterial infections; 190 without bacterial infections). Researchers also looked at blood samples from 19 infants without fevers.
The team identified 66 genes that served as a biomarker to distinguish between infants with bacterial infections and those without. The method proved accurate 87 percent of the time.
Currently, determining an illness caused by bacteria in infants with fevers can involve complex and time consuming medical procedures like a spinal tap.
"The development of a fast and noninvasive diagnostic tool holds promise for better outcomes and lower treatment costs for young infants with fevers of unknown cause," said, Valerie Maholmes, PhD, with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, which provided funding for the study.
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