A minimally invasive blood examination is enough to grasp the immune changes of an ongoing infection. And save life to premature babies.
An examination that requires the withdrawal of a single drop of blood It can say if the immune system of a newborn is committed to fighting some infection and allowing early diagnosis of dangerous conditions. The system, described in the scientific journal Pediatric Researchreturns a response in 15 minutes and promises to guarantee more timely treatments for premature babies with serious inflammatory conditions.
A phase of great vulnerability
Due to the imagination of their immune system, premature babies are more subject to potentially lethal infections, such as the sepsis ol ‘necrotizing enterocolite. The first is a serious and generalized reaction to an infection, usually bacterial, which spreads through blood. The second is an inflammation that causes lesions of the internal surface of the intestine, and represents one of the main causes of mortality between premature babies.
Both conditions can manifest themselves with vague symptoms and worsen quickly. A early diagnosis can guarantee immediate medical intervention and increase the chances of healing.
Too much blood and too much time
The current diagnostic methods require the withdrawal of large quantities of blood, compared to the total volume of blood in a premature newborn (up to 1 milliliter, on the 50 total that can flow in the body of a small partoria at 28 weeks). Children subjected to this type of test can incur anemia (insufficiency of red blood cells for the transport of oxygen) at a time when they are already debilitated for an ongoing infection.
In addition, conventional tests can take hours or days to return a result. The new system is “satisfied” of 0.05 milliliters of blood, a volume 20 times lower than that usually requiredand deliver a result in 15 minutes. On the spot and directly in the ward, a condition that makes it particularly suitable for being used also in rural contextsin less equipped health facilities.
On the hunt for alterations in the immune system
Compared to the standard exams, which seek in the blood the presence of pathogens, the new test, developed by the Scientists of the Singapore-Milan Alliance for Research and Technology of Singapore, focuses on the response and alterations of the immune system of newborns. Measure quantity and changes of various immune components To understand if the body’s body defense system is committed to counteracting an infection. Some of the parameters taken into consideration are the same as the blood tests prescribed to adults, such as C-Reactive Protein (which increases in response to inflammatory states) or the count of white blood cells.
The scientists tested the new examination on 19 babies, 11 of whom are premature, and noticed clear differences in how their immune cells behaved.
When one of the children developed a serious form of sepsis, the system traced relevant immune changes, showing that it had been capable of detect the infection in an early stage. Now the scientists will try to validate it on larger populations, of different ages or on other medical conditions.
Another examination, for rare diseases
Another blood test could instead accelerate the diagnoses of rare genetic diseases In infants, reducing the need for invasive tests and increasing the diagnostic yield, that is, the response with a formulation of diagnosis, in children with suspicious symptoms. Described in the scientific journal Genome medicinethe new test seeks a myriad of protein in some blood cells, which compares with those of healthy people. Since the genes provide instructions to codify proteins, alterations in the protein profile They can unmask genetic mutations.
The exam allows you to analyze more potential mutations simultaneously and provides the results in three days. It turned out to be particularly indicated for the mitochondrial diseases (i.e. caused by alterations in the functioning of the mitochondria), but is already applicable to about half of the 7,000 rare notes.
