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Published on: May 24, 2024

Clinical utility of a host-protein test for suspected infection in the pediatric emergency department: a pragmatic

Vered Nir1,2, Vered Schichter Konfino1,2, Naama Kuchinski Cohen2,3

  • 1Pediatrics Department, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Hadera, Israel.

Frontiers in Pediatrics
|June 1, 2026
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

The MeMed BV (MMBV) test accurately distinguishes bacterial from viral infections in children. Its use in pediatric emergency settings reduced antibiotic prescribing and hospital stays, optimizing care.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Infectious Disease Diagnostics
  • Host-Response Biomarkers

Background:

  • Accurate differentiation of bacterial vs. viral infections in children is crucial to prevent antibiotic misuse.
  • MeMed BV (MMBV) is a host-protein test for infection etiology, but its real-world pediatric utility requires further study.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of implementing the MeMed BV (MMBV) test on antibiotic prescribing patterns and clinical outcomes in pediatric emergency medicine.
  • To assess the real-world utility of MMBV in a routine clinical setting.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study compared two pragmatic cohorts of preschool-aged children: standard of care (SC arm) vs. MMBV test availability (MMBV arm).
  • Physician discretion guided MMBV ordering. Primary endpoint: antibiotic prescribing rate change in outpatients with viral MMBV results. Secondary endpoints: LRTI subcohort prescribing and hospital length of stay (LOS).

Main Results:

  • Antibiotic prescribing for viral MMBV results decreased significantly from 20.3% (SC arm) to 7.5% (MMBV arm) (p=0.007).
  • Overall outpatient antibiotic prescribing declined (25.0% vs. 16.8%; p=0.071).
  • Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) subcohort prescribing decreased (84.0% to 67.9%; p=0.002), and hospital LOS was shorter in the MMBV arm (3.1 vs. 3.6 days; p<0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Routine implementation of the MeMed BV (MMBV) test in pediatric emergency care optimizes antibiotic utilization.
  • The MMBV test is associated with reduced hospital length of stay, improving overall patient management.
Keywords:
MeMed BVantibiotic stewardshipbiomarkersemergency departmenthost-response testing

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