New test rapidly identifies antibiotic-resistant superbugs

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 de Boer, a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley. "Our test is simple and gives us information on a short timescale."