Abstract: Provided herein are, in various embodiments, methods of detecting an acute inflammatory response associated with a viral infection in a patient, methods of predicting a likelihood of developing an acute inflammatory response (e.g., an acute respiratory distress syndrome) in a patient having a viral infection, such as a SARS-CoV2 infection, and methods of preparing a bodily fluid sample that is useful for performing the disclosed methods. The present invention also provides methods of treating a patient having a viral infection with a therapy that inhibits acute inflammation, such as acute inflammation mediated by the kinin-kallikrein system and/or the renin-angiotensin system (RAS).