A new study by Waldemar Gorski, professor and chair of the UTSA Department of Chemistry, and Stanton McHardy, associate professor of research in chemistry and director of the UTSA Center for Innovative Drug Discovery, describes a method that could show quickly and accurately whether a person has been infected with harmful bacteria or other pathogens. Additionally, this new method shows the exact severity of infection in a person.
The most common method of testing for infection in medical facilities is a strip that turns a certain color when infected fluids come into contact with it.
“The problem with this method is that it’s imprecise,” Gorski said. “The human eye is forced to judge the level of infection based on the hue and deepness of a color. It’s difficult to make an accurate call based on that.” Furthermore, roughly a third of samples cannot be tested because the fluids contain blood or are too opaque.
Other methods include microbiology or examining body fluid samples under a microscope and counting white blood cells, also known as leukocytes, which are an indicator of an infection. However, these can be slow processes and require more highly trained personnel.
Gorski, seeing a need for an easier and more rapid method of testing for infection, resolved to test an electrochemical approach, and sought out McHardy, a medicinal chemist. Together, they created molecules that bind to leukocyte enzymes and produce an electrical current to signal the presence of an infection.
Their new molecules are housed on a testing strip. After being contacted with infected bodily fluids, the strip is connected to a computer monitor that displays a clear range of electrochemical responses demonstrating the severity of an infection.
“The signs and symptoms people demonstrate aren’t always reflective of the level of the infection they have,” McHardy said. “This method could very easily show just how serious an infection is and make diagnosis a much quicker process, possibly preventing a more serious illness.”
Gorski believes the method could be especially useful to people who have just undergone surgery, as it could determine definitively whether they have an infection from the procedure before it worsens.
The Latest on: Detecting infections
via Google News
The Latest on: Detecting infections
- Rare virus caused by infected mosquitoes detected in DeKalb on September 19, 2018 at 1:14 pm
It's rare, but it's been detected here. The DeKalb County Board of Health said ... Dusk/Dawn – Mosquitoes carrying mosquito-borne diseases usually bite at dusk and dawn, so avoid or limit outdoor acti... […]
- Man loses hands and feet after dog-related infection on September 19, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Capnocytophaga bacteria have been detected in up to 74% of dogs, according to the CDC. C. canimorsus is not on CDC's list of reportable diseases, and experts say it's hard to pin down numbers on how r... […]
- Diagnosing and Treating Infectious Diseases with Nuclear Techniques on September 19, 2018 at 8:37 am
“Molecular imaging has a unique role in detecting changes related to infection. The IAEA supports Member States in the proper use of imaging and radiopharmaceuticals to diagnose and monitor infections ... […]
- EnVision - A New Test Kit to Detect Emerging Diseases on September 19, 2018 at 5:31 am
Test results from this test can be denoted by a color change which can be further analyzed by a smartphone app, This, in turn, makes it an attractive option for a point-of-care diagnostic device. The ... […]
- New test kit for quick, accurate and low-cost screening of diseases on September 18, 2018 at 12:25 pm
This versatile technology platform called enVision (enzyme-assisted nanocomplexes for visual identification of nucleic acids) can be designed to detect a wide range of diseases - from emerging infecti... […]
- AI used to detect fetal heart problems on September 18, 2018 at 7:20 am
Machine learning can allow diagnostic systems to detect diseases more rapidly and accurately than human beings, but this requires the availability of adequate datasets on normal and abnormal subjects ... […]
- West Nile Virus activity detected in Vacaville on September 17, 2018 at 11:17 pm
As of Sept. 13, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports that WNV activity has been detected in 21 counties. This year, there have been 56 reported human cases of WNV infection throug... […]
- Live Well, Be Healthy: Kidney disease hard to detect on September 16, 2018 at 11:22 pm
But one major problem with kidney disease that really has not changed over four decades is that it normally is not detected until damage already ... to aid clinicians in the treatment of particular di... […]
- Oak wilt detected in Bayfield, Douglas counties on September 16, 2018 at 8:29 pm
The fungal infection is carried by sap-feeding beetles and can have ... Oak wilt has been established in the southern two-thirds of Wisconsin, but had been detected as far north as Burnett, Washburn, ... […]
via Bing News