We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Rapid Bacterial Infection Test Reduces Antibiotic Use

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 18 Aug 2016
Inappropriate antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infections is common in primary health care, but distinguishing serious from self-limiting infections is difficult, particularly in low-resource settings.

A rapid test is able to detect C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of infections caused by bacteria, in patients' blood and a low level of CRP is suggestive of viral infection and therefore antibiotic treatment is not required.

An international team of scientists led by those at the Radboud University, (Nijmegen, Netherlands) performed a multicenter open-label randomized controlled trial in ten primary health-care centers in northern Vietnam. More...
Patients aged 1 to 65 years with at least one focal and one systemic symptom of acute respiratory tract infection were assigned 1:1 to receive either C-reactive protein point-of-care testing or routine care, following which antibiotic prescribing decisions were made. Between March 17, 2014, and July 3, 2015, 2,037 patients including 1,028 children and 1,009 adults were enrolled and randomized.

For patients in the intervention group, a finger prick to obtain capillary blood was done and analyzed using the quantitative NycoCard analyzer; the CRP single test kit was used with the NycoCard II Reader (Alere Technologies, Oslo, Norway) on enrolment (day 0) and retested on day 3, 4, or 5. Patients in the control group were treated according to routine practice and local treatment guidelines on enrolment and the second visit. All patients were followed up at two weeks after the initial health clinic visit by a structured telephone interview.

The cutoffs used to recommend that antibiotics not be prescribed were a CRP of 20 mg/L or less for patients aged 6 to 65 years, and a CRP of 10 mg/L or less for patients aged 1 to 5 years. Doctors were advised that adults with a CRP of 100 mg/L or more and children with a CRP of 50 mg/L or more should generally receive antibiotics and hospital referral should be considered. The number of patients who used antibiotics within 14 days was 581 (64%) of 902 patients in the C-reactive protein group versus 738 (78%) of 947 patients in the control group. Highly significant differences were seen in both children and adults, with substantial heterogeneity of the intervention effect across the 10 sites.

Heiman Wertheim, PhD, a professor and principal investigator, said, “There were large differences in the effect of the intervention between health centers; one center saw no effect due to antibiotic stocks they wanted to get rid of. This nicely illustrates one of the practical obstacles that need to be overcome.” His colleague, Nguyen Van Kinh, MD, PhD, added, “With this easy-to-use tool, primary healthcare providers can safely limit the unnecessary antibiotic use for viral respiratory infections. The study provides important evidence for simple solutions in antibiotic stewardship programs.” The study was published on August 2, 2016, in the journal The Lancet Global Health.

Related Links:
Radboud University
Alere Technologies

New
Gold Member
Serological Pipets
INTEGRA Serological Pipets
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
Drug Test Kit
DrugCheck 3000
New
Pan-Cancer Panel
TruSight Oncology 500
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: New research brings hope for improved early detection of pancreatic cancer (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

New Biomarker Panel to Enable Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) has one of the worst prognoses globally, with only 13% of diagnosed patients surviving for five years or more. In Ireland, there are about 900 cases of pancreatic cancer annually,... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: An “evolutionary” approach to treating metastatic breast cancer could allow therapy choices to be adapted as patients’ cancer changes (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Evolutionary Clinical Trial to Identify Novel Biomarker-Driven Therapies for Metastatic Breast Cancer

Metastatic breast cancer, which occurs when cancer spreads from the breast to other parts of the body, is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Nearly 90% of patients with metastatic cancer will... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: A real-time trial has shown that AI could speed cancer care (Photo courtesy of Campanella, et al., Nature Medicine)

AI Accurately Predicts Genetic Mutations from Routine Pathology Slides for Faster Cancer Care

Current cancer treatment decisions are often guided by genetic testing, which can be expensive, time-consuming, and not always available at leading hospitals. For patients with lung adenocarcinoma, a critical... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Researchers Dr. Lee Eun Sook and Dr. Lee Jinhyung examine the imprinting equipment used for nanodisk synthesis (Photo courtesy of KRISS)

Multifunctional Nanomaterial Simultaneously Performs Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment, and Immune Activation

Cancer treatments, including surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, have significant limitations. These treatments not only target cancerous areas but also damage healthy tissues, causing side effects... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.