A team of researchers in Germany and Ireland has developed a new device that dramatically cuts the time to detect bacterial species that cause urinary tract infections a major cause of sepsis."In our pilot study, we were able to identify Escherichia coli (more commonly known as E. coli) and Enterococcus faecalis -- two species known to cause urinary tract infections -- within 70 minutes, directly from patients' urine samples," explained Ulrich-Christian Schroder from Leibniz Institute of Technology in Germany.
The speedy diagnosis marks a tremendous reduction in the wait time compared to the lengthy lag -- often 24 hours or more -- associated with methods routinely used to identify bacteria and diagnose urinary tract infections today.The lab-on-a-disc platform uses Raman microscopy, a modern optical detection method. This medical diagnostics device is designed to harness centrifugal…
