Rapid test detects hidden infections in critically ill children
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Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London used a same-day metagenomic test on over 100 critically ill children in intensive care to identify infections.
The test examines all genetic material in a sample, allowing doctors to detect bacteria, viruses, and fungi, including drug-resistant strains, from a single source, unlike older methods that required them to predict the likely infection.
The new testing method proved crucial for 10-year-old Willow Crowther, who was critically ill with pneumonia and facing a 50% chance of survival. The test revealed a drug-resistant bacterial infection that required a change in her antibiotic treatment, and her family credits the test with saving her life. A study of 122 children showed the test accurately identified around nine of ten bacteria and viruses, and all fungi, influencing treatment decisions in a quarter of cases.
GOSH is now expanding the testing to approximately 30 intensive care units across the UK, and researchers believe it could also help detect new pandemic threats by identifying previously unknown organisms.
