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Protein signature in mucus reveals infection status
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When detected in specific quantities in the mucus, a group of proteins can reveal with 86% accuracy whether the infection is from influenza virus or just a cold, according to data from a proof-of-concept trial published in EBioMedicine.
“Every day, people are taking time off from work, going to emergency rooms, urgent care or their primary care doctors with symptoms of an upper respiratory infection,” Geoffrey S. Ginsburg, PhD, director of the Duke University’s Center for Applied Genomics & Precision Medicine (DCAGPM), said in the press release. “Looking for these proteins could be a relatively easy and inexpensive way of learning if a person has a viral infection, and if not, whether the use of antibiotics is appropriate.”
Researchers sought to develop a rapid, noninvasive diagnostic test that can detect the cause of upper respiratory illness and appropriate treatment at the doctor’s office, hopefully improving antibiotic stewardship. By precisely determining these infections, doctors will have another tool to curb the widespread use of antibiotics wrongly prescribed to patients with viral illnesses.
The investigators infected 88 healthy volunteers with a common strain of cold of influenza virus. The trial results showed a distinct set of 25 proteins in fluid samples from the nasal passages, flushed out with saline, of participants who developed infections. Unlike prior studies looking to develop cost-effective diagnostic tools for differentiating bacterial and viral infections, the Duke researchers assessed the individual’s response to the pathogen and signature patterns in their genes, proteins, metabolites and other biomarkers. Compared with blood testing, another way to potentially distinguish between bacterial and viral infections in the upper respiratory tract, analyzing proteins in the mucus is less invasive and requires less processing.
“The protein targets offer a faster, more cost-effective model for rapid screening and diagnoses of viral infections,” senior author Christopher W. Woods, MD, professor of medicine and associate director of Duke’s genomic center and an Infectious Disease News Editorial Board member, said in the release. “If the data are verified, the model could be valuable in many circumstances, such as rural settings or developing countries with less convenient access to health care, or even as an airport screening tool during an outbreak of a particularly threatening strain of flu.” – by Savannah Demko
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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