Reducing Uncertainty for Acute Febrile Illness in Resource-Limited Settings: The Current Diagnostic Landscape

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2017 Jun;96(6):1285-1295. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0667.

Abstract

AbstractDiagnosing the cause of acute febrile illness in resource-limited settings is important-to give the correct antimicrobials to patients who need them, to prevent unnecessary antimicrobial use, to detect emerging infectious diseases early, and to guide vaccine deployment. A variety of approaches are yielding more rapid and accurate tests that can detect more pathogens in a wider variety of settings. After decades of slow progress in diagnostics for acute febrile illness in resource-limited settings, a wave of converging advancements will enable clinicians in resource-limited settings to reduce uncertainty for the diagnosis of acute febrile illness.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Anti-Infective Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bacteriological Techniques
  • Diagnostic Tests, Routine*
  • Fever / diagnosis*
  • Fever / drug therapy
  • Health Resources
  • Humans
  • Metagenomics
  • Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques
  • Uncertainty

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents