Value of Flow Cytometry in Infectious Point of Care: Feasibility Study

The detection and characterization of infectious events is a major challenge for emergency medicine. Thus the possibility of quickly attributing an infectious origin to a febrile and/or inflammatory syndrome makes it possible to treat and refer the patient quickly. In addition, the ability to distinguish bacterial etiology from viral etiology provides a valuable additional indication for the clinician. This of the upmost importance for fragile populations such as elderly patients and in epidemic conditions such as influenza. A new rapid diagnostic guidance solution is proposed by the Beckman Coulter Laboratory with the simultaneous assay of two biomarkers, one allowing the detection of a viral infectious process (CD169), the other of a bacterial infectious process (CD64). The combination of these two biomarkers, measured in 12 minutes by a new generation assay and flow cytometer, represents an opportunity for emergency services.

To date, there is no study on the validation of this diagnostic orientation method. We propose to carry out a prospective, observational, non-interventional feasibility study to compare the results of these measurements with the usual diagnostic criteria combining the clinical signs, infectious testing, and biological data.

Inclusion criteria

• Patient over 18 years of age presenting to the Timone 2 Emergency Department with the association:

• A fever> 38 ° C or hypothermia <36.5 ° C.
• A potential clinical infectious syndrome is respiratory (cough, sputum, dyspnea), or urinary (potential urinary tract infection), or abdominal (potentially infectious diarrhea, potentially infectious pain syndrome) or neurological (meningitis potential) or cutaneous (erysipelas).

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with clinical criteria that may increase other non-specific biomarkers and therefore not allow for subsequent comparison:

• Trauma
• Known inflammatory and autoimmune disease
• Infectious chronic viral, fungal or bacterial disease
• Antibiotic or anti viral treatment prior to admission
• Immunosuppressive treatment
• neoplasia
• Extended burn
• Recent surgery (<1 month)