Credit score: CC0 Public Area
A brand new, non-invasive breath take a look at has emerged as a possible breakthrough for quickly diagnosing bacterial infections and monitoring remedy effectiveness.
Developed by researchers from the College of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital, the take a look at leverages pathogen-specific metabolic tracers and a laser-based detection platform to determine infections in actual time.
Lead researcher Dr. Marina Lopez-Alvarez offered findings at ESCMID World 2025, demonstrating the take a look at’s feasibility in preclinical fashions and highlighting its potential for future medical purposes.
The breath take a look at is predicated on the precept that pathogenic micro organism, however not mammalian cells, metabolize sure 13C-enriched compounds, producing [13C]CO2, which will be detected in exhaled breath.
The researchers evaluated 5 bacterial species—Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterobacter cloacae—and located that they metabolized 13C-maltose and 13C-mannitol, in addition to 13C-sorbitol, 13C-xylose, and 13C-arabinose within the case of E. coli.
Among the many 13C-enriched metabolites examined,13C-maltose and 13C-mannitol produced no background [13C]CO2 in wholesome mice, confirming their specificity for bacterial metabolism. In distinction, 13C-glucose and 13C-sorbitol have been additionally metabolized by mammalian cells, making them much less appropriate for an infection detection.
To validate the method, S. aureus-infected mice (myositis, osteomyelitis, and pneumonia fashions) acquired intravenous 13C-maltose, whereas E. coli-infected mice have been administered 13C-mannitol.
Their exhaled breath was then analyzed for [13C]CO2. Wholesome mice didn’t produce [13C]CO2 after receiving 13C-maltose, 13C-mannitol, 13C-arabinose, 13C-xylose, or 13C-maltotriose, confirming that these substrates are metabolized completely by micro organism within the animals examined.
Emphasizing the significance of those findings, Dr. Lopez-Alvarez stated, “Present imaging instruments replicate the host-immune response quite than the causative pathogens themselves. This could result in an incorrect or delayed prognosis when the affected person has, for instance, a sterile inflammatory illness.
“By using bacteria-specific metabolites, such as mannitol, that are not metabolized by mammalian cells but are metabolized by bacteria, we can rapidly detect infections with greater accuracy.”
In an extra experiment, E. coli-infected mice handled with the antibiotic ceftriaxone for twenty-four hours exhibited a substantial lower in [13C]CO2 ranges, correlating with a decreased bacterial burden. This end result means that the breath take a look at may very well be helpful not just for diagnosing infections but in addition for monitoring the effectiveness of antibiotic therapies in real-time.
Whereas this research didn’t immediately assess the sensitivity of the laser-based detection methodology, prior analysis means that it provides benefits in value and portability in comparison with conventional isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS)-based strategies.
Professor David M. Wilson, principal investigator on this research, said that the most important benefits of the built-in cavity output spectroscopy (ICOS) system platform are the fee and measurement of the instrument.
“For approximately $100,000 you could have an ICOS instrument in the emergency room or another acute care setting, and the system is smaller than a piece of carry-on luggage”, he defined.
Earlier than testing in people with suspected bacterial infections, researchers should first verify that wholesome people don’t produce [13C]CO2 from these metabolites. That is the essential subsequent step to make sure the take a look at’s specificity for bacterial infections in medical settings.
Whereas breath testing is already used clinically for Helicobacter pylori infections, Dr. Lopez-Alvarez and Dr. Wilson goal to develop this diagnostic method to a broader vary of bacterial infections.
“This study represents an important step towards non-invasive, rapid infection detection, with potential applications in emergency medicine, intensive care, and antimicrobial stewardship programs,” Dr. Lopez-Alvarez concluded.
Extra data:
Lopez-Alvarez, M., et al. [13C]CO2 breath testing for detecting and monitoring bacterial an infection. Oral presentation. ESCMID World 2025, Vienna, Austria.
Offered by
European Society of Scientific Microbiology and Infectious Ailments
Quotation:
Novel breath take a look at exhibits promise for diagnosing and monitoring bacterial infections (2025, April 30)
retrieved 30 April 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-04-bacterial-infections.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Aside from any truthful dealing for the aim of personal research or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is offered for data functions solely.
