When you get sick, you want the right treatment fast. But certain infectious microbes are experts at evading the very anti-bacterial drugs designed to fight them.
When you get sick, you want the right treatment fast. But certain infectious microbes are experts at evading the very anti-bacterial drugs designed to fight them.
A simple and inexpensive new test developed by UC Berkeley researchers can diagnose patients with antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria in a matter of minutes. The technique could help doctors prescribe the right antibiotics for each infection, and could help limit the spread of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs,” which kill as many as 700,000 people worldwide each year.
“Health organizations around the world are supporting the development of tools that specifically identify pathogens that are resistant to antibiotics because there are limited tests available that can do it quickly,” said Tara deBoer, a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley. “Our test is simple and gives us information on a short timescale.”
The test, dubbed DETECT, spots the molecular signatures of antibiotic-resistant bacteria directly in urine samples. Unlike other techniques that are currently on the market, DETECT does not require expensive instrumentation and is simple enough to be applied in a point-of-care setting.
Read more at University of California - Berkeley
Image: Tara deBoer holds a well-plate of synthetic urine samples that have been added to the DETECT solution. The solution turns yellow when antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present. (Credit: Stephan McNally photo)
