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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Could a blood test diagnose the cause of kids' fevers?

RNA transcripts can discriminate between 18 categories of disease, including common bacteria and viruses as well as rare, potentially life-threatening conditions.
Cropped image of doctor measuring temperature of boy with infrared thermometer at hospital.

A blood test holds potential for identifying the cause of some childhood fevers. Credit: Getty

A single blood test might help doctors to determine whether a child’s fever needs urgent treatment, a proof-of-principle study has found1.

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Nature 620, 925 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02624-3

References

  1. Habgood-Coote, D. et al. Med https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medj.2023.06.007 (2023).

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