Blood Test May Help Distinguish Between Virus, Bacterium

It can be difficult to determine whether a patient may be dealing with a viral or bacterial infection because the symptoms are often similar and there are a relatively small number of diagnostic deaths to determine distinctions.

Researchers at Duke Health have now developed a test that can determine the cause of an infection, which helps in choosing if the patient needs antibiotics and what kind. Furthermore, this will be particularly helpful for patients who are dealing with a virus over an infection. Just like the flu or even the common cold, these viruses can also cause coughing, sneezing and runny nose, just like bacterial based infections.

"Antibiotics treat bacteria, but they do not treat viruses. That's why distinguishing between these various causes of illness is very important to get the right treatment to the right patient, and to offer a prognosis for how the patient is likely to do," said study author Dr. Ephraim Tsalik, in a news release. 

The new test searchers out genetic signatures in blood samples from patients to determine if the pathogen they have is caused by a bacterium or a virus. Before that, researchers typically looked for hallmark signs of specific bugs. Now they scan the sick person's genetic reaction to the microbe, according to TIME Health.

The new information yielded an 87 percent accuracy rate in classifying more than 300 patients with common colds, the flu or strep infections. 

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