Methods of identifying infectious disease and assays for identifying infectious disease

1. A method of identifying a subject infected with a respiratory virus comprising:

a) determining gene expression levels of panviral signature genes from a peripheral blood cell sample of the subject, wherein the panviral signature genes consist of ATF3, CXCL10, DDX58, HERC5, IFI27, IFI44, IFI44L, IFI6, IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3, ISG15, LAMP3, LOC26010, LOC727996, LY6E, MX1, OAS1, OAS2, OAS3, OASL, PML, RSAD2, RTP4, SEPT4, SERPING1, SIGLEC1, TNFAIP6, and XAF1, wherein determining comprises a method selected from the group consisting of assaying the sample with an array comprising a plurality of nucleic acid oligomers, real time PCR, assaying the sample with an array comprising a plurality of antibodies, and LC/MS;

b) comparing the gene expression levels of the panviral signature genes of step a) to standard gene expression levels for the panviral signature genes, wherein a difference between the levels of expression of the panviral signature genes and the standard gene expression levels is indicative of a subject infected with a respiratory virus; and

c) administering an effective amount of an anti-viral therapeutic agent to the subject.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respiratory virus is rhinovirus.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respiratory virus is respiratory syncytial virus.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respiratory virus is influenza.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein genetic material from the peripheral blood sample is isolated and amplified prior to determining gene expression levels.

6. A method of identifying a type of viral respiratory infection, the method comprising:

a) determining gene expression levels of genes from a peripheral blood cell sample of the subject, wherein determining gene expression levels comprises a method selected from the group consisting of assaying the sample with an array comprising a plurality of nucleic acid oligomers, real time PCR, assaying the sample with an array comprising a plurality of antibodies, and LC/MS, wherein:

i) the genes consists of RSAD2, LAMP3, IFI44L, IFIT1, SIGLEC1, IFI44, OAS3, LOC727996, SERPING1, HERC5, ISG15, IFI6, INDO, MX1, IFIT3, OASL, LOC26010, OASL, CXCL10, ATF3, OAS1, DDX58, OAS1, LY6E, OAS2, CCL2, XAF1, IFIT2, and SOCS1 and the viral respiratory infection is rhinovirus infection;

ii) the genes consists of RSAD2, SERPING1, IFI44L, IFIT1, IFI44, LAMP3, OAS3, HERC5, ISG15, IFIT3, SIGLEC1, OASL, OAS1, LOC26010, MX1, IFI6, FCGR1A, GBP1, ATF3, IFIT5, LAP3, OASL, IFIT2, RTP4, GBP1, DDX58, ETV7, FCGR1B, and OAS1 and the viral respiratory infection is respiratory syncytial virus infection; or

iii) the genes consists of RSAD2, IFI44L, SIGLEC1, LAMP3, IFIT1, IFI44, SERPING1, IFI27, ISG15, HERC5, LOC26010, IFI6, LOC727996, IFIT3, OAS3, OASL, SEPT4, XAF1, OAS1, LY6E, MS4A4A, SIGLEC1, TNFAIP6, CCL2, OAS1, MX1, TNFAIP6, RTP4, and OASL and the viral respiratory infection is influenza infection;

b) comparing the gene expression levels of genes of step a) to standard gene expression levels, wherein a difference between the levels of expression of the genes and the standard gene expression levels is indicative of a subject infected with a viral respiratory infection; and

c) administering an effective amount of an anti-viral therapeutic agent to the subject.

7. A method of distinguishing between a viral respiratory infection and a bacterial respiratory infection in a subject comprising:

a) determining gene expression levels of panviral signature genes from a peripheral blood cell sample of the subject, wherein the panviral signature genes consist of ATF3, CXCL10, DDX58, HERC5, IFI27, IFI44, IFI44L, IFI6, IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3, ISG15, LAMP3, LOC26010, LOC727996, LY6E, MX1, OAS1, OAS2, OAS3, OASL, PML, RSAD2, RTP4, SEPT4, SERPING1, SIGLEC1, TNFAIP6, and XAF1, wherein determining gene expression levels comprises a method selected from the group consisting of assaying the sample with an array comprising a plurality of nucleic acid oligomers, real time PCR, assaying the sample with an array comprising a plurality of antibodies, and LC/MS;

b) comparing the gene expression levels of the panviral signature genes of step a) to standard gene expression levels for the panviral signature genes, wherein a difference between the levels of expression of the panviral signature genes and the standard gene expression levels is indicative of a subject infected with a respiratory virus, and

c) administering an effective amount of an anti-viral therapeutic agent to the subject.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expression levels of each of the panviral signature genes in the peripheral blood cell sample are normalized and wherein the normalized expression levels are used as features for a sparse probit regression model to predict infection status.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a predictive probability greater than 0.5 indicates that the subject is infected with a respiratory virus.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the expression levels of the genes are normalized and wherein the normalized expression levels are used as features for a sparse probit regression model to predict infection status.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the expression levels of each of the panviral signature genes in the peripheral blood cell sample are normalized and wherein the normalized expression levels are used as features for a sparse probit regression model to predict infection status.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein a predictive probability greater than 0.5 indicates that the subject is infected with a respiratory virus.