A blood test has been developed that can determine the cause of a fever by analyzing changes in gene activity. Current diagnostic tools for fevers, which look for pathogens, are often slow and unreliable. This new genetic test offers a promising alternative as certain genes switch on or off in response to disease.
The research, led by Myrsini Kaforou at Imperial College London, involved analyzing gene expression in blood samples from 1212 children diagnosed with 18 different infectious or inflammatory diseases that cause fever. Using a machine learning model, the researchers identified 161 genes that correlate with diseases across six categories: bacterial infections, viral infections, inflammatory diseases, malaria, tuberculosis, or Kawasaki disease. The model was then validated in a separate group of 411 children with fever, and it achieved a high accuracy score of 0.89 to 1.
If further validated in larger data sets, this blood test could significantly speed up diagnoses, ensure appropriate treatment, and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, thus addressing the issue of antibiotic resistance. While this test is a step in the right direction for precision medicine in infectious and inflammatory diseases in children, larger studies are needed before it can be used in clinical settings.
According to Kaforou, this initial study does not cover every possible infectious and inflammatory disease, so more patients and data are being recruited to expand the test’s coverage.
