Use of multiplex PCR to rapidly diagnose febrile patients during a gastroenteritis outbreak among Ebola virus treatment unit workers.

Multiplex PCR can provide rapid diagnosis for patients presenting with an acute undifferentiated febrile illness. Such technology is useful in deployed settings, where access to conventional microbiological diagnosis is limited. It was used in Sierra Leone to guide management of febrile healthcare workers, in whom Ebola virus disease was a possible cause. In particular, it informed appropriate antibiotic treatment while minimising the risk to clinicians of exposure to the causative organism.