Simple Blood Test Could Tell Your Doctor Whether You Need Antibiotics

There may soon be a simple blood test that will allow doctors to figure out whether it's a virus or bacterium ailing you - and whether you need antibiotics.

Antibiotics are the strongest weapon in the arsenal against bacterial infections, but most people presenting to their medical practitioner are suffering from afflictions caused by viruses, which can't be treated by antibiotics, writes Time.

While tests do exist to sort bacteria from viruses - they can take up to three days to complete, which does not present an immediate solution for people wanting relief from their symptoms.

But Dr. Ephraim Tsalik, assistant professor of medicine at Duke University and Durham Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, and colleagues believe they may have found a way to overcome this problem, according to The Telegraph.

The researchers have begun working on a blood test that requires only a few drops of blood and an hour. After the time is up - the doctor will be able to see from the test results whether the infection is bacterial or viral - and whether antibiotics are necessary.

The test is still in its early development stages - but it is already set to vastly improve bacteria and virus testing. The test works by scanning the genetic reaction that takes place in response to the invading microbe - instead of looking for the telltale signs of bugs. It picks up on the body's different reactions to microbes -- which activates different genes in the immune system.

"Considering the huge vacuum and the void in helping doctors make decisions about antibiotic use, just about any kind of test is an improvement over what's currently available," Tsalik told Time.

While the test will benefit patients - it could also lessen antibiotic overuse, which are often prescribed for viral illnesses including the flu - leading to fears of widespread antibiotic resistance.

Scientists are already finding strains of bacteria that are resistant to all forms of antibiotic treatment.

But the new test could help to limit antibiotic misuse, as well as other benefits including the ability to determine how a person's immune system is responding to the microbes.

The researchers believe that the test could be ready just a few years. Currently, the test takes up to 10 hours to provide a result - but Tsalik believes it can be shortened to an hour.

"What we're reporting now is by no means the end of the story," he told Time. "We are working diligently to translate the signatures we found to make them available in an hour or less using a simple approach that can be done at the patient's bedside or in an office-based lab."

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.