Speedy test could improve treatment of urinary tract infections
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria detected in a fraction of usual time
By Nsikan Akpan
WASHINGTON — A cheap new test can quickly diagnose drug-resistant urinary tract infections, scientists reported September 7 at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The innovation could reduce delays in treating thousands of UTIs per year.
Bacteria cause 8.6 million UTIs annually in the United States. Antibiotics are the first line of defense, but microbes are rapidly evolving resistance to standard drugs. Ten percent of UTIs are now caused by strains of Escherichia coli bacteria that ward off a bevy of antimicrobial drugs using enzymes called extended-spectrum beta-lactamases.