Cookies

Like most websites The Pathologist uses cookies. In order to deliver a personalized, responsive service and to improve the site, we remember and store information about how you use it. Learn more.
Outside the Lab Microbiology and immunology, Technology and innovation, Point of care testing

Pathogens Unveiled

Researchers are on a mission to develop rapid point-of-care tests to establish infection cause and drive down unnecessary antibiotic use

Ephraim Tsalik |

At a Glance

  • Patients with respiratory infections are often prescribed antibiotics, even when the presence of a bacterial pathogen has not been verified
  • The dangers of antibiotic overprescription are widely known and documented; the availability of more precise, rapid tests, will help to reduce this growing problem
  • A “gene signature” of 130 genes, detectable by a blood test, has revealed different patterns depending on the type of infection a patient has
  • Currently, the test requires a full vial of blood and takes a day to process, but development toward a rapid, low-volume, point-of-care test is progressing quickly

      Read the full article now

      Log in or register to read this article in full and gain access to The Pathologist’s entire content archive. It’s FREE!

      Login

      Forgot your password?

      Or register now - it’s free!

      You will benefit from:

      • Unlimited access to ALL articles
      • News, interviews & opinions from leading industry experts
      • Receive print (and PDF) copies of The Pathologist magazine

      When you click “Register” we will email you a link, which you must click to verify the email address above and activate your account. If you do not receive this email, please contact us at [email protected].

      Outside the Lab Microbiology and immunology, Technology and innovation, Point of care testing

      About the Author

      Ephraim Tsalik

      Ephraim Tsalik is Assistant Professor of Medicine, specializing in infectious diseases, at the Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, USA.

      Related Webinars

      Outside the Lab Pathologists’ assistants

      Pathologists’ Assistants: Bridging the Gap

      Outside the Lab Point of care testing

      A Question of Quality

      | Sponsored by Royal College of Pathologists

      Outside the Lab Screening and monitoring

      Determining tumour mutation burden using Oncomine Tumour Mutation Load Assay

      | Sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific

      Most Popular

      1. Subspecialties COVID-19

      The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Summary

      | Fred Plapp

      2. Inside the Lab Genetics and epigenetics

      The Diagnostic Power of DNA Methylation

      | Bekim Sadikovic

      3. Subspecialties Training and education

      Bad Grades for Gleason

      | Jonathan Epstein

      4. Outside the Lab Profession

      A Voice for the Dead: The Forensic Anthropologist

      | Olivia Gaskill

      5. Outside the Lab Profession

      So You Want to Be a Pathologist…

      | Nadeem Zafar and Jennifer Baccon

      Register to The Pathologist

      Register to access our FREE online portfolio, request the magazine in print and manage your preferences.

      You will benefit from:

      • Unlimited access to ALL articles
      • News, interviews & opinions from leading industry experts
      • Receive print (and PDF) copies of The Pathologist magazine

      Register

      December Issue of The Pathologist