In general, doctors advice tests for confirmation whether the patient has a bacterial or viral infection. As the time for test takes 24-48 hours, most of the doctors prescribe antibiotics anticipating quick relief for patients.

In such cases, antibiotics will not work in such patients and may cause allergic reactions and thereby incur heavy healthcare costs.

According to a study, the BGU group has shown it is possible to distinguish a patient's infection as either viral or bacterial by adding luminol to a blood sample and measuring the glow. Luminol is a luminescent chemical substance used in crime scenes to locate traces of blood.

The study clearly indicated that white blood cells that protect the body (phagocytes) react differently to viral and bacterial infections and that the glow or chemiluminescence (CL) can detect those distinct reactions.

In the study, 69 patients admitted to Soroka University Medical Center in Beer-Sheva with various types of infections. Rather than looking at the infection, they looked at the immune system’s response to the infection.

A team, headed by Professor Robert Marks, of the Department of Biotechnology Engineering and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev (NIBN) made the discovery. Team member and doctoral student Daria Prilutsky undertook the project as part of her Interdisciplinary Technologies Fellowship from the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education.

“This is a terrific example of the multi-disciplinary approach at BGU that results in innovative research and yields results that can have a worldwide impact,” said Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben Gurion University of the Negev. “A test of this type has significant implications for cutting healthcare costs, and providing more accurate treatment.”

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