Identification and Differentiation of Viral and Bacterial Respiratory Infection to Guide Antibiotic Stewardship
Identification and Differentiation of Viral and Bacterial Respiratory Infection to Guide Antibiotic Stewardship
The development of point-of-care testing is critical in the identification and differentiation between bacterial and viral respiratory infections. Defining the indications of infection to improve antibiotic stewardship, ensures that patients are protected from unnecessary antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance. It has been shown that particular protein biomarkers, such as myxovirus resistance protein (MxA) and C-reactive protein (CRP), differentiate infections between bacterial and viral. Using point-of-care platforms, such as Randox’s VeraSTAT, for detection of these protein biomarkers may provide more rapid and cost-effective discriminating tools.
The treatment of bacterial and viral infections can differ significantly, however people are often treated with empirical antibiotics due to a lack of paid and accurate testing. Although early intervention of infection is urgent, current diagnostic methods are either time intensive or inaccurate. The challenges clinicians are faced with in the differentiation of viral or bacterial respiratory infection can lead to delayed diagnosis, misappropriation of antibiotics and increased healthcare costs.
MxA protein has the potential to greatly enhance the rapid detection of viral respiratory infections as it increases significantly when there is actuate viral infection. CRP is the dominant acute phase protein often used to guide treatment of a bacterial infection or inflammation associated with tissue injury, inflammatory disorders, and associated diseases.
CRP & MxA together, allow clinicians to make appropriate decisions in supporting antimicrobial stewardship and guide the appropriate use of antibiotics, saving time performing unnecessary tests, providing unnecessary treatment which missing the opportunity to provide the right treatment in a timely manner.
The Randox VeraSTAT is a simple, accurate, portable point of care device which delivers rapid results via the use of patented cathodic electrochemiluminescence technology (C-ECL). Designed with the aim of offering users the next generation of rapid diagnosis, the VeraSTAT eliminates the requirement to send samples to a laboratory and instead returns results in as little as 6 minutes.
- Eliminates delays in sending samples to the lab and facilitate immediate decision making at the point of care.
- Lightweight, portable and convenient, the Randox VeraSTAT can be used in a variety of locations to deliver results as required, such as a GP surgery or Emergency Department.
- Intuitive user interface guides the operator through the entire testing process.
- All necessary reagents are conveniently included in each single use, sealed cassette with no preparation required. All necessary consumables are supplied with the kit.
- The Randox VeraSTAT allows for results to be exported via Bluetooth connectivity.
- Flexible test menu comprising of a range of immunoassay, protein, inflammatory, diabetes & infectious disease markers.
Novel testing approaches identifying the type of infection at the point of care are essential in accurately guiding appropriate antibiotic treatment. Although these tests can’t determine what type of viral or bacterial infection a patient has, it will determine whether the infection is viral or bacterial, further testing is then carried out to determine what type of pathogen the patient has via PCR – the gold standard. The ability to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections is the most effective guide for clinical decision making and is an innovative tool for antibiotic stewardship.
References
1 – Fleming-Dutra K.E., Hersh A.L., Shapiro D.J. Prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions among US ambulatory care visits, 2010–2011. JAMA. 2016;315:1864–1873. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.4151.
2 – Cals JW, Hopstaken RM, Butler CC, Hood K, Severens JL, Dinant GJ. Improving management of patients with acute cough by C-reactive protein point of care testing and communication training (IMPAC3T): study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMC Fam Pract. 2007;8:15.
3- New report calls for urgent action to avert antimicrobial resistance crisis [Internet]. World Health Organization. World Health Organization; 2019
4 – Hutchings MI, Truman AW, Wilkinson B. Antibiotics: past, present and future. Curr Opin Microbiol. (2019) 51:72–80. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2019.10.008
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