Blood Test May Be Able To Distinguish Between Bacterial And Viral Infections, Research Suggests.

reports that research suggests a blood test may be able to “distinguish between bacterial and viral infections.” This “test looks at the proteins made by seven genes; in the presence of bacteria, four of the genes become more active, while in the presence of viruses, three of them churn out more proteins.” Time adds that “by measuring this, the test can tell with reliable certainty whether an infection is caused by a bacteria or virus.” The research was published in Science Translational Medicine. The seven-gene test was found to be accurate on blood samples from 96 critically ill children.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/blood-test-may-help-prevent-overuse-antibiotics-182354586.html?ref=gs