Posted on 02/07/2013 4:34:32 PM PST by neverdem
Antibiotics are used regularly for treating bacterial infections, but there is currently no quick and simple test to determine the most effective type or dose of antibiotic for a specific patient infection. As a result, it’s estimated that around 30% of all antibiotic prescriptions are not the optimum choice. This can lead to the formation of drug-resistant bacteria, delayed recovery, and in some cases death from an infection.
Tests for the most appropriate antibiotic choice are performed for life-threatening patient infections. However, microbes have to be grown on agar plates from a very small patient sample which delays results for a few days. Hiroaki Suzuki et al have designed a microfluidic device that is able to determine the most effective antibiotic treatment in just 12 hours.
The device consists of eight separate culture chambers, which can test a range of concentrations simultaneously. Once bacteria are added the growth rate is recorded using a reflection-microscopy technique. The images obtained allow the volume of bacteria present to be calculated, which in turn allows estimation of the minimum concentration of antibiotic required to effectively treat a patient.
Shuqi Wang, an expert in microfluidic diagnostic devices, at Harvard Medical School, USA, comments ‘This method has broad potential applications to help clinicians choose the right antibiotics at the right concentration against given bacteria, and thus to avoid empirical antibiotic treatment. In particular, the multi-chamber microfluidic design allows simultaneous evaluation of multiple antibiotics at various concentrations in one testing.’
R Takagi et al, Analyst, 2013, DOI:10.1039/c2an36323b
FReepmail me if you want on or off my combined microbiology/immunology ping list.
This stuff will kill em...http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Yn0ey0vePwI&vq=medium
” Hiroaki Suzuki et al have designed a microfluidic device that is able to determine the most effective antibiotic treatment in just 12 hours.”
Will be subject to Oskeetercare medical device tax.
manuka honey, garlic (allicin), and oil of oregano.
I vote for non-colloidal silver biotics (liquid and gel)
They should be looking at fungi.
There is a constant war going on in the microbial world between bacteria and fungi.
Heck, we got penicillin from a mold and I think there are others as well.
Last I heard, there’s something like a million species of fungi that have yet to be discovered and classified!
yeah silver’s good too but the others are internal or external and you don’t have to worry about turning blue.
No blue with this :) This is non colloidal - nano technology, We even use it on our pets with wonderful results. It sometimes is called silver sol by Amerian Labs. Good to have on hand.
I used Manuka on a surgical wound that was 7cm circumference instead of getting a skin graft. It took four months to heal, but it worked.
I used Manuka on a surgical wound that was 7cm circumference instead of getting a skin graft. It took four months to heal, but it worked.
I used Manuka on a surgical wound that was 7cm circumference instead of getting a skin graft. It took four months to heal, but it worked.
I used Manuka on a surgical wound that was 7cm circumference instead of getting a skin graft. It took four months to heal, but it worked.
That's looking for new antibacterial drugs. This device offers an alternate or supplement to culture and sensitivity testing in currently sick patients.
IIRC, you commented on microfluidic devices once before.
I read most of your Science posts each week, ping list or not.
Bump
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