Scientists in China have developed a silicon chip doped with silver nanoparticles that can rapidly detect different pathogens in blood samples. The technique may be a rapid and low-cost alternative to current diagnostic tools.
Although there are currently several detection tools available to researchers, the technology cannot keep pace with the community’s need to diagnose patients quickly. He explains that complex biochemical analyses are time-consuming and can suffer from ‘relatively poor sensitivity’.
Human blood spiked with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus was deposited onto the chip to determine whether SERS could distinguish between the harmful pathogens and surrounding blood cells.
The researchers found that the SERS chip could detect both pathogens down to concentrations of a few hundred colony-forming units per millilitre. Following detection, the chip killed the bacteria through the slow release of silver anions from the surface.
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Breaking up a paragraph for easier reading for many -
[ 04-10-2015, 05:49 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
Neat!
Posted by poppy (Member # 5355) on :
Spirochete concentrations may be very much lower in blood than those bacteria in the study, since the ketes head for tissues in later stages, and I wonder if it will work on alternate forms. Hoping they, or anyone at all, will come up with a test that detects all cases of lyme at all stages.