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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
A Neonatal Imaging Model of Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis
Published on: August 12, 2020
Use of transcriptomics for diagnosis of infections and sepsis in children: A narrative review
Francesca Casini1, Maria Sole Valentino2, Marc Garcia Lorenzo2
1Pediatric Department, "Vittore Buzzi" Children's Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Insights
Omics-based techniques offer rapid and accurate characterization of pediatric infections like sepsis. Host gene expression signatures help differentiate infections, assess severity, and guide therapy, combating antibiotic resistance.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Genomics and molecular diagnostics
- Bioinformatics in healthcare
Background:
- Accurate and rapid diagnosis of pediatric infections is crucial for effective treatment.
- Traditional methods for diagnosing infections can be slow and sometimes lack specificity.
- The rise of omics technologies presents new opportunities for diagnostic advancements.
Approach:
- A narrative review of recent evidence was conducted using PubMed.
- Inclusion criteria focused on English-language clinical trials, meta-analyses, and reviews from the last 15 years.
- Studies specifically examining pediatric populations with respiratory tract infections, neurological infections, and sepsis were prioritized.
Key Points:
- Host gene expression signatures show promise in characterizing various pediatric infections.
- Omics-based techniques can effectively distinguish between infection and colonization.
- These methods may aid in assessing disease severity in children.
Conclusions:
- Omics-based techniques are valuable tools for defining the etiology of pediatric infections.
- They can guide the selection of appropriate therapies, potentially limiting antibiotic resistance.
- Further integration of omics into clinical practice could enhance pediatric infectious disease management.
Aim:
The aim of this review was to summarise the most recent evidence about the use of omics-based techniques as an instrument for a more rapid and accurate characterisation of respiratory tract infections, neurological infections and sepsis in paediatrics.
Methods:
We performed a narrative review using PubMed and a set of inclusion criteria: English language articles, clinical trials, meta-analysis and reviews including only paediatric population inherited to this topic in the last 15 years.
Results:
The examined studies suggest that host gene expression signatures are an effective method to characterise the different types of infections, to distinguish infection from colonisation and, in some cases, to assess the severity of the disease in children.
Conclusions:
'Omics-based techniques' may help to define the aetiology of infections in paediatrics, representing a useful tool to choose the most appropriate therapies and limit antibiotic resistance.
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