title: Clinical usefulness of serum 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase for early diagnosis of viral infections among febrile adult patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2-5AS) levels in diagnosing viral infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  2-5AS, procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels and leukocyte counts were evaluated in 104 febrile patients (26 viral and 55 bacterial infections, 23 non-infectious diseases).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Assessment of areas under the receiver-operator characteristic curves revealed that 2-5AS and CRP levels and the age of the patient differentiated between viral and bacterial infections, 2-5AS levels differentiated between viral infection and non-infectious disease and PCT levels differentiated between bacterial infection and non-infectious disease. The decision tree constructed according to the results correctly classified the origin of fever in 88 of 104 patients (85%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  2-5AS is a useful diagnostic biomarker for viral infections and combining it with the PCT and CRP levels and leukocyte counts improves determination of causes of fever.
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Medicine ;
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yanai
authors.affiliation: b Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine , Nihon University School of Medicine , Tokyo , Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gon
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Medicine ;
authors.forename: Kiyozumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Medicine ;
authors.forename: Yuta
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Medicine ;
authors.forename: Sadayuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasumi
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Medicine ;
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.affiliation: a Division of General Medicine ;
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soma
mesh_terms: D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019540:Area Under Curve; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D003663:Decision Trees; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin; D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase
keywords: 2'-5'-Oligoadenylate synthetase; decision tree; procalcitonin; viral infection