We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




New DNA Test Diagnoses Bacterial Infections Faster and More Accurately

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 14 Mar 2025
Print article
Image: The DNA sequencing method indentifies the bacterial causes of infections to determine the most effective antibiotics for treatment (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)
Image: The DNA sequencing method indentifies the bacterial causes of infections to determine the most effective antibiotics for treatment (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a significant global health threat, causing at least one million deaths annually since 1990. The Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project warns that, without swift intervention, drug-resistant infections could lead to more than 39 million deaths between now and 2050. Now, researchers have developed a DNA sequencing technique that can be used directly in hospitals to diagnose bacterial infections with greater speed and accuracy. This advancement promises to allow doctors to provide better-targeted treatments sooner, offering patients faster recovery, fewer complications like sepsis, and a reduced risk of spreading infections to others.

The technology, developed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA, London, UK) in collaboration with Barts Health NHS Trust (London, UK), is currently being tested to prevent hospital outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs' — an escalating global problem. As outlined in a publication in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, this DNA sequencing method can reliably identify the bacterial causes of infections and determine the most effective antibiotics for treatment. With results available in just two days, this method is a significant improvement over traditional approaches, which can take up to seven days or, in some cases, as long as eight weeks.

Since September 2024, more than 2,000 patient samples have been analyzed across seven London hospitals using this new method. The aim is to make rapid DNA sequencing a standard tool in NHS hospitals, providing faster and more accurate infection testing for patients nationwide. This study is the first large-scale clinical validation of its kind in the UK, and one of the first globally, testing DNA sequencing technology for diagnosing a broad range of infections. By directly analyzing bacterial genetic material, this approach allows for much faster and more accurate infection detection, including those that are more complex. This will enable earlier and more precise diagnosis and treatment, especially for critically ill patients.

The key to the success of this initiative is the MHRA’s development of reference materials — carefully regulated samples recognized by the World Health Organization, ensuring reliable and consistent diagnoses for patients. The MHRA is now working on standardizing the technology to support its wider adoption across the NHS. This could allow more hospitals to benefit from rapid, accurate bacterial infection diagnostics, reducing unnecessary reliance on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Furthermore, this technology holds potential for combating antimicrobial resistance and managing future hospital outbreaks. Efforts are now focused on optimizing and standardizing this DNA sequencing service to enable its replication in other settings, thereby accelerating the detection of pathogens and identifying antimicrobial-resistant strains more efficiently.

“This groundbreaking use of the technology in hospitals will cut diagnosis times down from weeks to just two days enabling doctors to provide the right treatment faster and saving lives, while also fighting the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance,” said UK Health Minister Ashley Dalton.

Related Links:
MHRA
Barts Health NHS Trust

Gold Member
Flocked Fiber Swabs
Puritan® Patented HydraFlock®
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
C-Reactive Protein Assay
OneStep C-Reactive Protein (CRP) RapiCard InstaTest
New
Epstein-Barr Virus Test
Mononucleosis Rapid Test

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Professor Nicole Strittmatter (left) and first author Wei Chen stand in front of the mass spectrometer with a tissue sample (Photo courtesy of Robert Reich/TUM)

Mass Spectrometry Detects Bacteria Without Time-Consuming Isolation and Multiplication

Speed and accuracy are essential when diagnosing diseases. Traditionally, diagnosing bacterial infections involves the labor-intensive process of isolating pathogens and cultivating bacterial cultures,... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The new algorithms can help predict which patients have undiagnosed cancer (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Advanced Predictive Algorithms Identify Patients Having Undiagnosed Cancer

Two newly developed advanced predictive algorithms leverage a person’s health conditions and basic blood test results to accurately predict the likelihood of having an undiagnosed cancer, including ch... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The collaboration aims to leverage Oxford Nanopore\'s sequencing platform and Cepheid\'s GeneXpert system to advance the field of sequencing for infectious diseases (Photo courtesy of Cepheid)

Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions

Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.