Faster infection diagnosis method identified

Scientists have determined that electrophoretic separation techniques can be used in the field of microbiological diagnostics.

The study, published by BMC Research Notes, and undertaken by a team from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland, showed that there is a clinical application for a rapid microbiological test based on capillary zone electrophoresis, in this case used to assess local skin infection.

Investigation was prompted, the scientists noted, by the basic clinical problem with infection treatment that traditional and routinely used isolation and identification methods are based on long-term processes of a phenotypic analysis of microorganisms, meaning that antibacterial treatment can be delayed.

During the study, the team attempted to identify individual bacterial species based on characteristic features of electropherograms achieved and obtained sensitivity of 88.1 per cent and specificity of 100 per cent.

"Electrophoretic technique, in the field of microbiological diagnostics of infected exudate from a post-operative wound, ... is a rapid and relatively sensitive method for initial identification of infectious pathogens," the report concluded.