U.K. scientists roll out computer program for drug-resistant bacteria Dx

Print 24 December 2015
Emily Wasserman / FierceMedicalDevices

With drug-resistant bacterial infections on the rise, scientists are looking for ways to quickly pinpoint harmful genetic material and predict whether or not a drug can treat an infection. Researchers in the U.K. are making progress on this front, developing a computer program that could speed up diagnosis of drug-resistant infections and help doctors choose the right treatment for patients.

Dr. Zamin Iqbal and his team at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, are rolling out Mykrobe Predictor software, a program that runs on a laptop or tablet and analyzes a bacterium's entire genetic code in less than three minutes once a sample has been cultured and sequenced. The software has already been tested for detecting antibiotic resistance inStaphylococcus aureus bacteria, which can cause MRSA, and tuberculosis (TB). Scientists published their findings in a recent issue of the journal Nature Communications.

In a study of 4,500 patient samples, Mykrobe Predictor found resistance to the 5 first-line antibiotics in almost all Staphylococcus aureus cases, which is on par with traditional drug sensitivity testing rates. The program also performed well for detecting drug-resistant TB, identifying about 83% of resistant infections 5 to 16 weeks faster than traditional drug susceptibility testing, the researchers said in a statement.

The tool could offer an advantage over other screening methods, as it allows researchers to find new drug-resistant bacterial mutations as they evolve and identify infections even if a patient has drug-resistant and drug-susceptible bacteria. Mykrobe Predictor also offers a more streamlined testing process by automatically analyzing genomes, cross-checking bacterial DNA sequences with previous strains to find mutations and delivering the information in a straightforward format.

"Our software manages data quickly and presents the results to doctors and nurses in ways that are easy to understand, so they can instinctively use them to make better treatment decisions," Iqbal said in a statement.

Now scientists are testing the software in certain hospitals in the U.K. through a program funded by the government and the Wellcome Trust. Eventually, the tool could be able to provide "complete information on a pathogen within 24 hours of culture" and link to a national surveillance database to facilitate "more timely and better targeted patient treatment," Derrick Crook, a consultant microbiologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital and director of the National Infection Service for Public Health England, said in a statement.

- get the study abstract

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