Breakthrough in the fight against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Research team led by University of Sunderland has discovered a novel technique for the early detection of pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is the major breakthrough in the fight against this superbug which kills thousands of patients every year.

Scanning Electron Micrograph of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Credit: Janice Haney Carr, Prevention's Public Health Image Library)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacteria which infects especially immunocompromised people (e.g. patients with burns, AIDS, cancer and cystic fibrosis) and every year kills tens of thousands of them.

The novel assay uses the enzymatic reaction which produces distinctive purple colour. This method is able to identify 99 per cent of pseudomonas strains within 24-48 hours. This speed highly increases a patient’s chances of survival.

Source: http://www.sunderland.ac.uk