Genomic test accurately sorts viral vs. bacterial infections

By ajz6@dhe.duke.edu
A blood test developed by researchers at Duke Medicine – including Geoffrey Ginsburg, Aimee Zaas and Christopher Woods – showed more than 90-percent accuracy in distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections when tested in people with respiratory illnesses. This research was covered by multiple media outlets yesterday, including this Washington Post article: Virus or bacteria? Experimental test aims to help docs tell, reducing unneeded antibiotic use. Read the article, which appears in the Sept. 18, 2013 issue of Science Translational Medicine: A Host-Based RT-PCR Gene Expression Signature to Identify Acute Respiratory Viral Infection.

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