A faster test for antibiotics against UTIs?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) plague millions of Americans each year. Now, researchers say they've developed a test that can tell in minutes whether or not a particular antibiotic can clear up the problem. The issue is an important one, doctors say, since many of the bacteria behind UTIs have grown resistant to certain antibiotics. And, left untreated, these infections can have serious effects, especially in the frail and elderly. "We live in an era of multidrug-resistant bacteria, so-called 'superbugs' that can cause life-threatening infections," said infectious disease specialist Dr. Sunil Sood, who reviewed the new study. "Modern molecular techniques to distinguish bacteria that are resistant from those that are susceptible to common antibiotics could be lifesaving," said Sood. He is chair of pediatrics at Northwell Health's Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y. According to the study authors, current urine tests can rapidly spot a UTI, but it can still take days for the exact germs – and the proper antibiotic to use against them -- to be identified. In the new study, researchers led by Nathan Schoepp, of the California Institute of Technology, developed a new way of analyzing germs in urine samples. Instead of isolating germs and waiting for them to grow, the researchers used a "DNA amplification" technique to analyze the bacteria's genome, or "genetic blueprint." The investigators tested the new screen out on 51 urine samples containing either antibiotic-resistant or antibiotic-susceptible strains of bacteria.