Overview of examine method and outcomes. Credit score: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60045-4
Australian researchers have taken a significant step towards utilizing real-time genome sequencing in routine hospital look after sufferers with extreme Staphylococcus aureus infections, or “golden staph,” a superbug liable for greater than 1 million deaths globally annually.
In partnership with seven main Victorian hospitals, researchers from the Peter Doherty Institute for An infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) have been the primary to indicate that monitoring bacterial modifications utilizing genome sequencing throughout severe an infection can provide clinicians quick insights to personalize remedy and enhance affected person outcomes.
Golden staph could cause life-threatening infections equivalent to sepsis, pneumonia, bone and joint infections and endocarditis (an infection of the guts valves). The micro organism are recognized for his or her means to adapt shortly, changing into immune to even probably the most potent antibiotics. Not like customary hospital laboratory checks that solely establish the kind of micro organism, genome sequencing reveals an entire genetic profile, together with traits that affect its response to remedy.
Led by The College of Melbourne’s Dr. Stefano Giulieri, Infectious Ailments Doctor and Clinician Researcher on the Doherty Institute and lead writer of the examine revealed in Nature Communications, the group collected golden staph samples from sufferers with extreme, recurring infections on the time of remedy failure. These strains have been in comparison with strains obtained at the start of the an infection, with the findings returned to the treating physicians.
Till now, research on bacterial evolution throughout an infection have solely been carried out retrospectively, usually years after remedy. Whereas these research have supplied precious insights to researchers, monitoring evolution throughout an infection could be extraordinarily useful for clinicians.
Dr. Giulieri mentioned they discovered that in one-third of the circumstances, the micro organism had picked up harmful mutations that made remedy extra more likely to fail.
“In one case, after initially controlling a golden staph infection, the patient returned to hospital two months after stopping antibiotics,” Dr. Giulieri defined.
“Samples have been referred to us for sequencing and we found that, throughout an infection, the golden staph micro organism had turn into 80 instances extra immune to the antibiotic used. Every time they reappeared in blood, the micro organism had picked up a brand new harmful mutation.
“Utilizing this data, the medical group was in a position to decide on a brand new remedy that was capable of lastly remedy the an infection.
“Our study is the first to show that by tracking bacterial evolution in real-time, genome sequencing can reveal tricks bacteria use to survive, giving doctors the power to stay one step ahead and tailor treatment to the specific bacterial strain. This helps avoid unnecessary treatments, minimize side effects for patients and prevent further antibiotic resistance—ultimately giving patients the best chance of recovery.”
To evaluate the worth of this method, the researchers surveyed 25 infectious illness specialists throughout Australia, Switzerland, the U.Ok. and the U.S. Clinicians rated the genomic stories as “highly useful” (80 out of 100) and indicated that the knowledge influenced their alternative of antibiotic remedy in additional than one-third of circumstances.
Professor Eugene Athan, Infectious Ailments Marketing consultant at College Hospital Geelong and survey participant, mentioned the method provides the chance for infectious ailments to enter the period of precision medication, simply as most cancers genomics has carried out in oncology.
“The ability to track bacterial evolution in real-time during severe infections is a game-changer for clinicians,” mentioned Professor Athan.
The College of Melbourne’s Professor Benjamin Howden, Director of the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Well being Laboratory (MDU PHL) on the Doherty Institute and senior writer of the examine, mentioned this work has important implications for the way forward for infectious illness administration.
“These findings represent a major step toward targeted therapy for bacterial infections and open the door to future clinical trials that could make this approach standard practice in hospitals worldwide,” mentioned Professor Howden.
Because of this examine, the MDU PHL is exploring a brand new service to offer superior genomic investigations for circumstances the place remedy is failing. Victorian hospitals can be the primary to entry this cutting-edge expertise, marking a world-first implementation of precision microbiology in medical care.
Extra data:
Stefano G. Giulieri et al, A multi-hospital, clinician-initiated bacterial genomics programme to analyze remedy failure in extreme Staphylococcus aureus infections, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60045-4
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The Peter Doherty Institute for An infection and Immunity
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