Diagnosis of childhood bacterial and viral infection using host RNA expression [Discovery set]

Genome-wide analysis of transcriptional profiles in children <17 years of age with bacterial or viral infections or with clinical features suggestive of infection. Patients were recruited at or after presentation to hospital. Main inclusion criteria were presence of illness of sufficient severity to warrant blood tests for clinical reasons, in child aged <17 years. Blood was collected into PAX gene tubes (PreAnalytiX). Total RNA integrity was assessed using an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent, Palo Alto, CA). Labeled cRNA was hybridized to Illumina Human HT-12 v4 Beadchips (Discovery set) or Illumina Human HT-12 V3 Beadchips (Validation set). Numbers of arrays analysed were as follows: Definite Bacterial infection (n=52), Definite Viral infection (n=92), Probable Bacterial infection (n=42), Probable Viral infection (n=5), infections of uncertain bacterial or viral aetiology (n=49), Healthy controls (n=52).