Research
Blood tests for a deadly infection have a lingering blind spot
Earth.com · By Sanjana Gajbhiye ·
The Brief
- An antibody blood test for melioidosis can stay positive long after a person has become ill.
- A positive antibody result does not necessarily mean the infection is still active.
- Scientists followed 142 people in Thailand who had been in hospital with the infection.
Why it matters
Clinicians may misread a positive antibody result as evidence of current infection, so the test alone may not show whether melioidosis is still active.
Who’s affected
- clinicians and diagnostic labs in regions where melioidosis is endemic
- people who have been treated for melioidosis
An antibody blood test for melioidosis, a potentially deadly bacterial infection, can remain positive long after someone becomes ill. A positive result does not necessarily mean the infection is still active. Scientists followed 142 people in Thailand who had been in hospital…