快速检测可避免婴儿接受不必要的药物治疗

A BLOOD test could determine whether a feverish baby has a bacterial or viral infection in 15 to 20 minutes. This would help doctors gauge whether the infection is serious or may pass without treatment, which could prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics. A fever can be the result of several things, including infection by viruses or bacteria, requiring different medications. While most common viruses are fairly benign, bacterial infections are generally more dangerous, says Tommaso Bellini at the Giannina Gaslini Institute in Genoa, Italy. Existing tests to gauge infection type take at least a few hours, so babies with fever are often given antibiotics against bacteria as a precautionary measure. …