A brand new, non-invasive breath check has emerged as a possible breakthrough for quickly diagnosing bacterial infections and monitoring therapy effectiveness.
Developed by researchers from the College of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and St. Jude Youngsters’s Analysis Hospital, the check leverages pathogen-specific metabolic tracers and a laser-based detection platform to determine infections in actual time.
Lead researcher Dr. Marina Lopez-Alvarez offered findings at ESCMID World 2025, demonstrating the check’s feasibility in preclinical fashions and highlighting its potential for future scientific purposes.
The breath check relies on the precept that pathogenic micro organism, however not mammalian cells, metabolize sure 13C-enriched compounds, producing [13C]CO2, which could be detected in exhaled breath.
The researchers evaluated 5 bacterial species—Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterobacter cloacae—and located that they metabolized 13C-maltose and 13C-mannitol, in addition to 13C-sorbitol, 13C-xylose, and 13C-arabinose within the case of E. coli.
Among the many 13C-enriched metabolites examined,13C-maltose and 13C-mannitol produced no background [13C]CO2 in wholesome mice, confirming their specificity for bacterial metabolism. In distinction, 13C-glucose and 13C-sorbitol have been additionally metabolized by mammalian cells, making them much less appropriate for an infection detection.
To validate the strategy, S. aureus-infected mice (myositis, osteomyelitis, and pneumonia fashions) acquired intravenous 13C-maltose, whereas E. coli-infected mice have been administered 13C-mannitol.
Their exhaled breath was then analyzed for [13C]CO2. Wholesome mice didn’t produce [13C]CO2 after receiving 13C-maltose, 13C-mannitol, 13C-arabinose, 13C-xylose, or 13C-maltotriose, confirming that these substrates are metabolized completely by micro organism within the animals examined.
Emphasizing the significance of those findings, Dr. Lopez-Alvarez mentioned, “Present imaging instruments mirror the host-immune response somewhat than the causative pathogens themselves. This will result in an incorrect or delayed prognosis when the affected person has, for instance, a sterile inflammatory illness.
“By utilizing bacteria-specific metabolites, resembling mannitol, that aren’t metabolized by mammalian cells however are metabolized by micro organism, we will quickly detect infections with higher accuracy.”
In a further experiment, E. coli-infected mice handled with the antibiotic ceftriaxone for twenty-four hours exhibited a substantial lower in [13C]CO2 ranges, correlating with a lowered bacterial burden. This outcome means that the breath check might be helpful not just for diagnosing infections but additionally for monitoring the effectiveness of antibiotic therapies in real-time.
Whereas this examine didn’t instantly assess the sensitivity of the laser-based detection methodology, prior analysis means that it presents benefits in price and portability in comparison with conventional isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS)-based strategies.
Professor David M. Wilson, principal investigator on this examine, said that the foremost benefits of the built-in cavity output spectroscopy (ICOS) system platform are the price and measurement of the instrument.
“For roughly $100,000 you could possibly have an ICOS instrument within the emergency room or one other acute care setting, and the system is smaller than a chunk of carry-on baggage”, he defined.
Earlier than testing in people with suspected bacterial infections, researchers should first verify that wholesome people don’t produce [13C]CO2 from these metabolites. That is the essential subsequent step to make sure the check’s specificity for bacterial infections in scientific settings.
Whereas breath testing is already used clinically for Helicobacter pylori infections, Dr. Lopez-Alvarez and Dr. Wilson intention to develop this diagnostic strategy to a broader vary of bacterial infections.
“This examine represents an essential step in the direction of non-invasive, fast an infection detection, with potential purposes in emergency medication, intensive care, and antimicrobial stewardship packages,” Dr. Lopez-Alvarez concluded.
Extra data:
Lopez-Alvarez, M., et al. [13C]CO2 breath testing for detecting and monitoring bacterial an infection. Oral presentation. ESCMID World 2025, Vienna, Austria.
Supplied by
European Society of Scientific Microbiology and Infectious Illnesses
Quotation:
Novel breath check reveals promise for diagnosing and monitoring bacterial infections (2025, April 30)
retrieved 1 Might 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-04-bacterial-infections.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Aside from any truthful dealing for the aim of personal examine or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is supplied for data functions solely.
